Scanpath analysis into the wild: the spatiotemporal distribution of fixations as an indicator of driver’s mental workload

Abstract

Past studies using the distribution of eye fixations as an indicator of mental workload are limited to simulations and laboratory tasks. Hence, this assessment strategy has not yet been proven useful in real- world settings. In order to bridge this gap, in this study eye movements of a group of individuals were recorded while driving a car in a suburban road. Drivers’ scanpaths during driving and during driving while performing mundane secondary tasks were compared in this study. A more grouped pattern of fixations was expected in the dual-task condition than in the driving-only condition. As expected, results showed the effectiveness the spatiotemporal distribution of fixations in correctly discriminating between task load conditions, therefore indicating its usefulness for assessing mental workload also in complex real-world tasks.