Watch out for the hazard! Blurring peripheral vision facilitates hazard perception in driving

Abstract

The objectives of this paper were to directly examine the roles of central and peripheral vision in hazard perception and to test whether perceptual training can enhance hazard perception. We also examined putative cortical mechanisms underpinning any effect of perceptual training on performance. To address these objectives, we used the gaze-contingent display paradigm to selectively present information to central and peripheral parts of the visual field. In Experiment 1, we compared hazard perception abilities of experienced and inexperienced drivers while watching video clips in three different viewing conditions (full vision; clear central and blurred peripheral vision; blurred central and clear peripheral vision). Participants' visual search behaviour and cortical activity were simultaneously recorded. In Experiment 2, we determined whether training with clear central and blurred peripheral vision could improve hazard perception among non-licensed drivers. Results demonstrated that (i) information from central vision is more important than information from peripheral vision in identifying hazard situations, for screen-based hazard perception tests, (ii) clear central and blurred peripheral vision viewing helps the alignment of line-of-gaze and attention, (iii) training with clear central and blurred peripheral vision can improve screenbased hazard perception. The findings have important implications for road safety and provide a new training paradigm to improve hazard perception.

Using Blur for Perceptual Investigation and Training in Sport? A Clear Picture of the Evidence and Implications for Future Research

“…Part of the reason for the lack of work in such settings likely relates to the potential for injury that could occur if perception of an approaching object or person were disrupted. However, even if this were minimized (see Mann et al, 2010b), such training also does not lend itself to using a peripheral blur, which to date seems to be most effective in facilitating learning and transfer effects of novice participants (Ryu et al, 2016(Ryu et al, , 2020. Related to this point, it is notable that the positive effects of a gazecontingent blur have yet to be shown in expert populations.…”

“…This could initially be problematic for practitioners and coaches but as the technology develops and interest grows, we envisage that low-cost, userfriendly solutions will be available. As for researchers, when applying a peripheral blur as suggested by the works of (Ryu et al, 2016(Ryu et al, , 2020, it will also be necessary to consider the potential interaction with DoF and foveated rendering. For example, the application of a high level of peripheral blur to a 3D VR stimuli could impact upon depth perception more than when applied to a 2D video image viewed from a thirdperson perspective.…”

“…More recently, Ryu et al ( 2020 ) applied the gaze contingency manipulation to the detection of hazards in newly licensed drivers compared to experienced drivers. To better determine the mechanism involved in training using blur, the authors also measured cortical activity using EEG (i.e., alpha wave power).…”

“…In this way, the high alpha wave power gives a view of basic cognitive processes, and in particular attention suppression and attention selection (Klimesch, 2012 ). Thus, in the situation of driving with blur, a decrease in alpha power would reflect a greater attention dedicated to visual processing (Klimesch, 2012 ; Ryu et al, 2020 ). In the first study of the experiment, performance of newly licensed drivers was compared to experienced drivers under full vision, central blur and peripheral blur conditions.…”

Analysis on Drivers' Vision-psychology under the Influence of Color Difference after Pavement Pothole Repair

“…The road environment generated significant effects on driving speed and attention span and pointed out that the occurrence probability of road traffic accident was high at dusk. Ryu et al [21,22] explored the drivers' differences in the gaze region, gaze target, visual load, and visual fatigue under in-vehicle and out-of-vehicle environments. They stated that the information from the central vision was more important than that from the surrounding vision, thereby indicating that the human visual sense organ could be easily affected by external factors.…”