Are Electrodermal Activity-Based Indicators of Driver Cognitive Distraction Robust to Varying Traffic Conditions and Adaptive Cruise Control Use?
URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2508.10620v1
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Abstract
In this simulator study, we investigate whether and how electrodermal activity (EDA) reflects driver cognitive distraction under varying traffic conditions and adaptive cruise control (ACC) use. Participants drove in six scenarios, combining two levels of cognitive distraction (presence/absence of a mental calculation task) and three levels of driving environment complexity (different traffic conditions). Throughout the experiment, they were free to activate or deactivate ACC (ACC use, two levels). We analyzed three EDA-based indicators of cognitive distraction: SCL (mean skin conductance level), SCR amplitude (mean amplitude of skin conductance responses), and SCR rate (rate of skin conductance responses). Results indicate that all three indicators were significantly influenced by cognitive distraction and ACC use, while environment complexity influenced SCL and SCR amplitude, but not SCR rate. These findings suggest that EDA-based indicators reflect variations in drivers' mental workload due not only to cognitive distraction, but also to driving environment and automation use.
Summary
Driving-simulator study (Halin, Van Droogenbroeck, Devue, AutomotiveUI Adjunct 2025) testing whether three electrodermal-activity indicators of cognitive distraction (skin conductance level, SCR amplitude, SCR rate) remain valid under varying traffic conditions and adaptive cruise control (ACC) use. Participants drove six scenarios crossing two cognitive-distraction levels (mental calculation vs none) with three traffic-complexity levels, and could freely toggle ACC. All three EDA indicators were affected by both cognitive distraction and ACC use; SCL and SCR amplitude were also influenced by environment complexity, while SCR rate was not.
Key finding
EDA-based indicators of cognitive distraction conflate driver workload from cognitive load, traffic complexity, and ACC use, undermining their use as pure cognitive-distraction markers; SCR rate is the most environment-robust of the three indicators.
Methodology
Exp 1: 10 participants, repeated measures across 6 sessions from 26 total. Exp 2: 20 participants, Old/New sequence comparison. On-road driving paradigm with DRT and NASA-TLX measures.
Sample size: Exp 1: N=10; Exp 2: N=20
Quality score: 5 / 5