Limits of spatial attention in three-dimensional space and dual-task driving performance

Abstract

The present study examined the limits of spatial attention while performing two driving relevant tasks that varied in depth. The first task was to maintain a fixed headway distance behind a lead vehicle that varied speed. The second task was to detect a light-change target in an array of lights located above the roadway. In Experiment 1 the light detection task required drivers to encode color and location. The results indicated that reaction time to detect a light-change target increased and accuracy decreased as a function of the horizontal location of the light-change target and as a function of the distance from the driver. In a second experiment the light change task was changed to a singleton search (detect the onset of a yellow light) and the workload of the car following task was systematically varied. The results of Experiment 2 indicated that RT increased as a function of task workload, the 2D position of the light-change target and the distance of the light-change target. A multiple regression analysis indicated that the effect of distance on light detection performance was not due to changes in the projected size of the light target. In Experiment 3 we found that the distance effect in detecting a light change could not be explained by the location of eye fixations. The results demonstrate that when drivers attend to a roadway scene attention is limited in three-dimensional space. These results have important implications for developing tests for assessing crash risk among drivers as well as the design of in vehicle technologies such as head-up displays.

Age-Related Limits of 3D Spatial Attention in Dual-Task Driving

“…However, our data demonstrated the exact opposite pattern for younger adults. These results are similar to those reported by Andersen et al (2010) who demonstrated that spatial attention during a driving task is affected by distance and by horizontal position. Specifically, our results indicate that the scope of spatial attention for young drivers is broad in space near the vehicle and reduces in spatial extent as it increases in depth.…”

“…Russell Pierce, Zheng Bian, & George Andersen Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside Riverside, California, USA Email: Russell.Pierce@email.ucr.edu Summary: A previous experiment by Andersen, Ni, Bian and Kang (2010) examined the limits of 3D spatial attention in younger drivers. In the current experiment, we examined age-related differences in the extent of 3D spatial attention by assessing participants' ability to detect a light-change target in an array of lights over a simulated roadway while performing a car following task.…”

“…In fact, recent evidence demonstrates that attention is limited in 3D space while attending to a roadway scene (Andersen, Ni, Bian, & Kang, 2010). In Andersen et al's experiments participants engaged in a centrally presented simulated car following task while also detecting light changes above the simulated roadway at varying horizontal and depth positions.…”

“…In summary, Andersen et al (2010) examined the limits of 3D spatial attention in younger drivers. In the current experiment, we examined whether there are age-related differences in the extent of 3D spatial attention.…”

3D Spatial Attention Effects are Independent of Projected 2D Size and Location for Older and Younger Drivers

“…Notably, congruent with prominent theories of attention (e.g., Eriksen & St. James, 1986;LaBerge & Brown, 1989), the spatial extent of attention as measured by UFOV is 2D, extending only in the horizontal and vertical dimensions (Edwards et al, 2005;Sekuler & Ball, 1986). However, evidence from experimental studies suggests that the spatial extent of attention is three-dimensional (3D) during driving (Andersen, Ni, Bian, & Kang, 2011;Pierce, Bian, & Andersen, 2011). One limitation of those experiments is that the effect of 2D position was not statistically or experimentally controlled and only statistical controls of 2D size were provided.…”