TY - JOUR

T1 - Advancing Knowledge on Situation Comprehension in Dynamic Traffic Situations by Studying Eye Movements to Empty Spatial Locations

AU - Frank, Wiebke

AU - Mühl, Kristin

AU - Rosner, Agnes

AU - Baumann, Martin

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

PY - 2023/12

Y1 - 2023/12

N2 - Objective: This study used the looking-at-nothing phenomenon to explore situation awareness (SA) and the effects of working memory (WM) load in driving situations. Background: While driving, people develop a mental representation of the environment. Since errors in retrieving information from this representation can have fatal consequences, it is essential for road safety to investigate this process. During retrieval, people tend to fixate spatial positions of visually encoded information, even if it is no longer available at that location. Previous research has shown that this “looking-at-nothing” behavior can be used to trace retrieval processes. Method: In a video-based laboratory experiment with 2 (WM) x 3 (SA level) within-subjects design, participants (N = 33) viewed a reduced screen and evaluated auditory statements relating to different SA levels on previously seen dynamic traffic scenarios while eye movements were recorded. Results: When retrieving information, subjects more frequently fixated emptied spatial locations associated with the information relevant for the probed SA level. The retrieval of anticipations (SA level 3) in contrast to the other SA level information resulted in more frequent gaze transitions that corresponded to the spatial dynamics of future driving behavior. Conclusion: The results support the idea that people build a visual-spatial mental image of a driving situation. Different gaze patterns when retrieving level-specific information indicate divergent retrieval processes. Application: Potential applications include developing new methodologies to assess the mental representation and SA of drivers objectively.

AB - Objective: This study used the looking-at-nothing phenomenon to explore situation awareness (SA) and the effects of working memory (WM) load in driving situations. Background: While driving, people develop a mental representation of the environment. Since errors in retrieving information from this representation can have fatal consequences, it is essential for road safety to investigate this process. During retrieval, people tend to fixate spatial positions of visually encoded information, even if it is no longer available at that location. Previous research has shown that this “looking-at-nothing” behavior can be used to trace retrieval processes. Method: In a video-based laboratory experiment with 2 (WM) x 3 (SA level) within-subjects design, participants (N = 33) viewed a reduced screen and evaluated auditory statements relating to different SA levels on previously seen dynamic traffic scenarios while eye movements were recorded. Results: When retrieving information, subjects more frequently fixated emptied spatial locations associated with the information relevant for the probed SA level. The retrieval of anticipations (SA level 3) in contrast to the other SA level information resulted in more frequent gaze transitions that corresponded to the spatial dynamics of future driving behavior. Conclusion: The results support the idea that people build a visual-spatial mental image of a driving situation. Different gaze patterns when retrieving level-specific information indicate divergent retrieval processes. Application: Potential applications include developing new methodologies to assess the mental representation and SA of drivers objectively.

KW - Knowledge representation

KW - experimental design

KW - eye movements

KW - information processing

KW - mental models

KW - situation awareness

KW - working memory

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85122910130&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208211063693

DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208211063693

M3 - Article

VL - 65

SP - 1674

EP - 1688

JO - Human Factors

JF - Human Factors

SN - 0018-7208

IS - 8

ER -