Citation

Richard CM, Wright RD, van Ee CA, Prime SL, Shimizu Y, Vavrik J. Hum. Factors 2002; 44(1): 108-119.

Affiliation

Human Factors Transportation Center, Battelle Seattle Research Center, Washington 98105-3949, USA. richardc@battelle.org

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12118865

Abstract

The effect of a concurrent auditory task on visual search was investigated using an image-flicker technique. Participants were undergraduate university students with normal or corrected-to-normal vision who searched for changes in images of driving scenes that involved either driving-related (e.g., traffic light) or driving-unrelated (e.g., mailbox) scene elements. The results indicated that response times were significantly slower if the search was accompanied by a concurrent auditory task. In addition, slower overall responses to scenes involving driving-unrelated changes suggest that the underlying process affected by the concurrent auditory task is strategic in nature. These results were interpreted in terms of their implications for using a cellular telephone while driving. Actual or potential applications of this research include the development of safer in-vehicle communication devices.


Keywords: Driver distraction;