@article{ref1,
title="Effects of conversation on situation awareness and working memory in simulated driving",
journal="Human factors",
year="2014",
author="Heenan, Adam and Herdman, Chris M. and Brown, Matthew S. and Robert, Nicole",
volume="56",
number="6",
pages="1077-1092",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: In the present research, we investigated the hypothesis that working memory mediates conversation-induced impairment of situation awareness (SA) while driving. <br><br>BACKGROUND: Although there is empirical evidence that conversation impairs driving performance, the cognitive mechanisms that mediate this relationship remain underspecified. Researchers have reported that a phonological working memory task decreased drivers' SA for vehicles located behind them whereas a visuospatial working memory task impaired SA for vehicles ahead. Conversation, therefore, might impair SA for vehicles behind the driver by preferentially taxing the phonological loop. <br><br>METHOD: A 20-questions task was used as a proxy for natural conversation. In Experiment I, driving performance was measured across three within-subjects conversation conditions (i.e., no conversation, driver asks questions, driver answers questions) with the use of a driving simulator. In Experiment 2, participants drove in the same simulator while either conversing (20-questions task) or not Participants estimated the positions of other vehicles after the screens were blanked at the end of each trial. <br><br>RESULTS: Speed monitoring and responses to visual probes were impaired by the 20-questions conversation task (Experiment 1). As predicted, conversation impaired SA for the location of other vehicles more for vehicles located behind the driver than for those in front (Experiment 2). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Conversation impairs drivers' SA of vehicles behind them by taxing working memory's phonological loop and impairs SA generally by taxing working memory's central executive. APPLICATION: Provides a theoretical framework that links driver SA to working memory and a mechanism for understanding why conversation impairs driving performance.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0018-7208",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}