Identifying Mind-wandering behind the Wheel

Driver distraction is a significant source of traffic-related crashes. External distraction has been the basis of much research and legislation. However, the influence of internal distraction, or mind-wandering (Smallwood, Fishman, & Schooler, 2007), on driver performance has not been as closely studied. The current study used self-report method of mental states in a simulated driving task to investigate the influence of mind-wandering on driving behavior and performance. Participants performed a car-following task in a low-traffic simulated driving environment, and were asked to press a button mounted on the steering wheel any time they found themselves “zoning out”. For analysis, driving performance data and oculomotor scanning data were binned into one-second intervals and submitted to cluster analysis. Results indicated a cluster mapping onto a time window from roughly 16 seconds prior to a button-press report of mind-wandering until roughly 3 seconds after the report, implying that mind-wandering episodes were detected about 16 seconds after they began. Comparison of performance within and without the mind-wandering intervals indicated that mind-wandering caused horizontal narrowing of drivers' visual scanning, consistent with the influence of other forms of internal distraction e.g., (Recarte & Nunes, 2000).

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