Measuring cognitive distraction in the automobile II
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Summary
AAA Foundation follow-up report (Strayer, Turrill, Coleman, Ortiz, & Cooper) extending the cognitive-distraction framework specifically to voice-based in-vehicle technologies. Three controlled experiments evaluated nine conditions including baseline, simple voice car commands, listening to and replying to messages with natural human versus synthetic computerized voices, perfect-reliability and moderate-reliability menu systems, and hands-free Siri for texting, social media, and calendar tasks. Hands-free Siri produced cognitive workload at the high end of the 1–5 scale, and lower speech-recognition reliability and message production amplified workload, extending the Strayer et al. (2013) ratings.
Key finding
Voice-based in-vehicle interactions vary widely in cognitive workload; hands-free Siri texting/social/calendar tasks reach the highest workload tier, and synthetic-voice and lower-reliability speech systems impose meaningfully more workload than natural voice or perfectly reliable systems.
Methodology
Three controlled converging-operations experiments (single-task baseline, driving simulator, instrumented residential-route vehicle) crossing nine voice-based interaction conditions; primary-task, secondary-task (DRT), subjective workload, and psychophysiological measures combined into the Strayer et al. (2013) cognitive distraction scale.
Sample size: three experiments with separate participant samples (full Ns in report body)
Quality score: 5 / 5