Driven to Distraction: Dual-task Studies of Simulated Driving and Conversing on a Cellular Telephone
The article explored dual-task studies concerning driving and conversing using a cellular telephone. Specifically, the research question was to determine “The extent to which cell-phone conversations might interfere with the driving and, if they do interfere with driving, to determine the precise nature of the interference” (Strayer & Johnston, 2021, p. 462). The hypothesis of the researchers was that cellular-phone conversations had a direct negative impact on drivers’ performance. The dependent variable in the research was the performance delivered on the simulated task of driving. The independent variable was the type of the second simultaneous task, including conversation using a handheld phone or listening to radio broadcasts. The results of the study showed that participants who engaged in listening to radio or audiobooks did not exhibit any change in their driving performance. At the same time, the performance was disrupted in the case of people who did a word-generation shadowing task utilizing a handheld phone. Additionally, the engagement in conversations with the help of both hands-free and handheld cell phones led to a significant increase in the failure of participants to identify traffic signals and slower reactions.
High Level of Trait Anxiety Leads to Salience-Driven Distraction and Compensation
The article concerned the topic of the effects of trait anxiety on the executive control functions in humans. The research question of the paper was to discover whether high trait anxiety could be associated with a deficit in the prevention of attention misallocation to salient visual search distractors (Gaspar & McDonald, 2018). The hypothesis of the paper was that the level of anxiety entailed different approaches to the suppression of distractors. The dependent variables in the case were two components, namely, attentional selection and suppression of distractors. The independent variable was the salience-driven distraction to which low-anxiety and high-anxiety participants were subject. The research discovered that individuals with various levels of anxiety have different responses to the salience-driven distraction. Essentially, people with low anxiety engage in suppression of distractors proactively, while their counterparts do it reactively once their distractor-driven capture takes place. Moreover, individuals who have a low level of anxiety may engage in a more rapid attention selection of the targets presented in the test. At the same time, people who have a high level of anxiety use a selection strategy which is less cognitively demanding.
Driven to Distraction: Determining the Effects of Roadside Advertising on Driver Attention
The article analyzed the roadside advertising impact on the attention of drivers. The research question of the paper concerned assessing “The effects of roadside advertising on driver attention and performance in different road types” (Young & Mahfoud, 2007, p. 4). The initial hypothesis of the study was that advertising had an adverse effect on driving performance. The driving performance indicators, longitudinal control, driver’s attention and mental workload were the dependent variables of the study. The independent variables of the research were the presence of billboards, and the particular road type, namely, motorway, urban, or rural. The research demonstrated that roadside advertising had a considerable effect on the attention of drivers and their performance. The mental workload of drivers experienced a considerable increase in the close proximity to billboards. On all road types, the visual search patterns of drivers when seeing advertising involved frequent short glances. In the motorway environment, participants viewed advertisements more often than the relevant road signs and could remember them better. The eye movement indicated an increase in the number of fixations in the presence of advertising.
References
Gaspar, J., & McDonald, J. (2018). High level of trait anxiety leads to salience-driven distraction and compensation. Psychological Science, 29(12), 2020–2030.
Strayer, D. & Johnston, W. (2001). Driven to distraction: Dual-task studies of simulated driving and conversing on a cellular telephone. Psychological Science, 12(6), 462–466.
Young, M. & Mahfoud, J. (2007). Driven to distraction: Determining the effects of roadside advertising on driver attention. Ergonomics Research Group School of Engineering and Design Brunel University.