Task-induced fatigue effects on simulated driving performance

摘要

Fatigue is a potentially stressful state for drivers, in that sustained performance of attention-demanding performance tasks may induce subjective states such as tiredness and tension. Although several studies suggest that fatigue is associatedwith accident risk (Haworth, 1994), often as a result of falling asleep whilst driving, behavioural studies of fatigue effects provide inconsistent findings (McDonald, 1984). However, as McDonald points out, these studies typically address only durationof drive, without exploring factors such as the level and types of driving demands which may affect the nature of the driver's psychological state change. In the present study, resource theories and dynamic models of stress and sustained performanceprovided opposing predictions concerning the variation of fatigue effects with task demands.