Eye Movements Drive Steering: Reduced Eye Movement Distribution Impairs Steering and Driving Performance

Abstract

On a winding open road, a driver consistently looks to the inside of each bend before turning the steering wheel. When researchers disrupt this coordination by instructing drivers not to move their eyes, drivers' performance is impaired and their completion time during racing increases. The present authors examined whether changing internal states in a way that also restricts eye movements reduces coordination and affects performance. Participants (N = 24) completed a simulated rally stage under manipulation of their anxiety state through ego threat. Performance decreased under pressure, and the decrement was associated with a narrowing of the range of eye movements and a reduced correlation of eye movements with steering. The authors discuss the possibility that the deterioration in performance is a cost of maintaining steering when eye-movement driving input to the steering controller is reduced.

Extended Visual Glances Away from the Roadway are Associated with ADHD- and Texting-Related Driving Performance Deficits in Adolescents

“…Engaging in a secondary task may serve to increase the effort directed towards driving (Matthews, Sparkes, & Bygrave, 1996). Alternatively, secondary cognitive task engagement might result in drivers fixating their gaze to the center of the roadway and since there is a high correlation between where a driver looks and where they steer their car (Wilson, Chattington, & Maple-Horvat, 2008), this may reduce lane variability. Research studies examining eye gaze while driving demonstrate that when individuals are engaged in a cognitively-distracting task while driving they are more likely to concentrate their gaze on the center of the roadway (Harbluk, Noy, Trbovich, & Eizenman, 2007; Nunes & Recarte, 2002; Recarte & Nunes, 2003; Reimer, Mehler, Wang & Coughlin, 2012).…”

Psychomotor control in a virtual laparoscopic surgery training environment: gaze control parameters differentiate novices from experts

“…While the importance of strategic gaze behaviour in optimising accurate motor control has been demonstrated reliably in tasks as varied as pointing [19], reaching and grasping [20], driving [14, 21], sport skills [22] and even sandwich-making [23], there has been little research focused on the strategic gaze behaviours of surgeons performing laparoscopic tasks. The current findings suggest that it is not the efficiency of the eye movements in general that is important, but the relevance of the target in optimally controlling the ensuing motor action.…”

“…Recent research examining the skilful performance of visually guided movements from other motor domains (e.g. driving and sport) has implicated the importance of gaze control in optimising subsequent motor control [14, 15]. In contrast, there has been little research focused on the strategic gaze behaviours of surgeons performing psychomotor, laparoscopic tasks.…”

The Impact of Eye Movements and Cognitive Workload on Lateral Position Variability in Driving

“…Prior research has also established a tight coupling between where a driver looks and lateral control inputs. The general finding is that drivers tend to steer in the direction of visual gaze and gaze in the direction they intend to steer (Readinger, Chatziastros, Cunningham, Bülthoff, & Cutting, 2002;Rogers, Kadar, & Costall, 2005;Wilson, Chattington, & Marple-Horvat, 2008). Taken together, the findings that (a) cognitive workload increases gaze concentration toward the center of the roadway and (b) eye movements are tightly coupled with lateral control inputs suggest a gaze concentration hypothesis, whereby decreases in lateral position variability with cognitive workload are mediated by an increase in gaze concentration toward the center of the roadway (Figure 1).…”