Are experienced drivers more likely than novice drivers to benefit from driving simulations with a wide field of view?

Abstract

This study aimed to further our understanding of the impact of a restricted field of view on visual search and hazard perception, by comparing novice and experienced driver performance in a driving simulator as a function of the available field of view. Participants encountered a series of virtual hazards during their drive while viewing the world under narrow or wide field of view conditions.The results showed that all drivers were more likely to avoid the hazards when presented with a wide view, even though the hazards only occurred in an area of the screen that was visible in both the wide and narrow view conditions. Experienced drivers also tended to have fewer crashes, and this appeared to be related to a greater speed reduction 10 metres before the hazard. This speed reduction was greatest in the wide field of view condition suggesting that additional information from wider eccentricities was useful in safely navigating the hazardous events. Gaze movement recording revealed that only experienced drivers made overt use of wider eccentricities, and this was typically in advance of any visual cues that might help identify the hazard. This suggests that either early overt attention to wider eccentricities, or continuous covert attention to these extrafoveal regions on approach to the hazard, is responsible for the safer behaviour of experienced drivers when presented with a wide field of view. We speculate about the possible underlying mechanism and discuss possible consequences for HP tests.

A link between attentional function, effective eye movements, and driving ability.

“…Individuals will scan left and right of this point in space while driving, but the extent of this horizontal scanning can be different between novice and experienced drivers. Experienced drivers tend to exhibit a wider horizontal search strategy compared to novice drivers ( Alberti, Shahar, & Crundall, 2014 ; Crundall & Underwood, 1998 ; Falkmer & Gregersen, 2001 ; Konstantopoulos, Chapman, & Crundall, 2010 ; Underwood, Chapman, Bowden, & Crundall, 2002 ). Crundall, Chapman, Phelps, and Underwood (2003) demonstrated this effect to be linked not only to experience (i.e., how long someone has driven) but also to expertise.…”

Predicting road scenes from brief views of driving video

“…Something of a middle ground exists between these two views of visual perception and prediction when we look to the hazard-perception literature, where subjects are asked to view still images or videos of driving scenes and either assess the relative hazard (Pelz & Krupat, 1974) or report the presence of hazards in the stimulus (McKenna & Crick, 1994). In brief, this body of work suggests that drivers learn to search for hazards (Underwood, Crundall, & Chapman, 2002) in particular locations in the scene-for example, where they are more likely to be present (Mackenzie & Harris, 2015;Underwood, Phelps, & Wright, 2005) and where they may be occluded by other objects (Alberti, Shahar, & Crundall, 2014). Given the role of prior knowledge here, there are strong similarities to the idea of scene grammar (Draschkow & Võ, 2017) in visual search, where what belongs (or not) in the scene influences search speed and accuracy.…”

Option generation in the treatment of unstable patients: An experienced‐novice comparison study

“…The data were consistent with research that indicates a pattern of more effective cue recognition and planning in experienced nurses (Whyte et al ., 2012; Thompson & Adderley, ). In other domains, studies in sports science (Ward & Williams, ; Alder et al ., ), hazard detection during driving (Bellet & Banat, ; Alberti et al ., ; Alder et al ., ), and in novice chess players (Sheridan & Reingold, ) further support the study findings, indicating a more limited appreciation of context by novices. Overall, the results of the study mirror those of Ward et al .…”