Research on Urban Rail Driver’s Mental Workload Based on Extenics

The evaluation model produced by the research on urban rail driver’s mental workload based on original science and Extenics. This paper uses the SHEL model to establish an index system including 13 important indexes that reflect the influence on individual mental workload of the urban rail train drivers. The SHEL model and the index system are also used to design the driver pressure source questionnaires. Our researchers randomly selected 300 qualified drivers from Shanghai Urban Rail Transit Company to participate in questionnaire survey and psychological interview. According to the basic principle of Extenics, using Extension method, we determine the weights of 13 indexes in the questionnaire data, then structure each rating section’s classical domains and the joint domains of all levels, and calculate the correlation degree between the mental workload and the evaluation degree for confirming individual driver’s mental workload level, forming the mental workload evaluation model of Extenics. Finally, through a concrete sample instance of the application, we managed to test the feasibility and reliability of this method. The evaluation results can provide decision-making reference for drivers’ performance on management aspects and they are also good for enhancing and ensuring urban rail traffic safety and efficient operation.