TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2010//
TI  - The Role of Working Memory in Supporting Drivers’ Situation Awareness for Surrounding Traffic
JO  - Human factors
A1  - Johannsdottir, Kamilla R.
A1  - Herdman, Chris M.
SP  - 663
EP  - 673
VL  - 52
IS  - 6
N2  - Objective: To link working memory to driver situational awareness (SA) for surrounding traffic. Background: Operating a motor vehicle is a complex activity that requires drivers to maintain a high level of SA. Working memory has been conceptually linked to SA; however, the roles of working memory subsystems in supporting driver SA is unclear. Method: Participants drove a simulated vehicle and monitored surrounding traffic while concurrently performing either visuospatial- or phonological-load tasks. Drivers’ SA was indexed as the ability to recall the positions of the surrounding traffic relative to their own vehicle at the end of each trial. Results: In Experiment 1, a visuospatial task interfered with drivers’ ability to recall the positions of traffic located in front of their vehicle. In contrast, a phonological task interfered with drivers’ ability to recall the positions of traffic located behind their vehicle. Experiment 2 confirmed and extended the findings of Experiment 1 with the use of different visuospatial- and phonological-load tasks. Conclusion: Visuospatial and phonological codes play a role in supporting driver SA for traffic located in the forward view and the rear view, respectively. Application: Drivers’ SA for surrounding vehicles is disrupted by concurrent performance on secondary tasks. The development and implementation of new in-cabin communication, navigation, and informational technologies needs to be done with the knowledge that components of drivers’ working memory capacity may be exceeded, thereby compromising driving safety.<p />
LA  - 
SN  - 0018-7208
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018720810385427
ID  - ref1
ER  -