Time-Sharing of a Visual In-Vehicle Task While Driving: Finding from the Task Occlusion Method

摘要

What can the task occlusion method reveal about time-sharing of a visual invehicle task while driving. To examine this issue, 24 licensed drivers (12 under 30 years, 12 over 65 years) were instructed to plan routes to specified destinations on an electronic map while driving a simulator. Four levels of steering difficulty (parked, straight road, moderate curves, and sharp curves) were examined for two levels of task immediacy (map fixed and map rotating). Subjects also performed the task while parked with the map intermittently occluded. Six combinations of viewing times (1, 1.5, and 2 s) and occlusion times (1 and 3 s) were examined. These results can be explained in light of four key constructs: time pressure on sharp curves resulted in short and efficient glances to the display; interference of concurrent driving resulted in longer total glance times at fixed maps while driving relative to task occlusion; and postponed processing and the cost of task partitioning balanced each other to keep total glance time unchanged when viewing time and occlusion time were manipulated.