Assessing cognitive distraction in the automobile
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Summary
Human Factors target article (Strayer, Turrill, Cooper, Coleman, Medeiros-Ward, & Biondi) presenting the converging-measures framework for cognitive distraction across three studies in which participants completed eight common in-vehicle tasks. Primary, secondary, subjective, and physiological measures were integrated into a cognitive-distraction scale: radio/audiobook listening was low workload, in-person and hands-free phone conversation was moderate workload, and speech-to-text email systems were high workload. The article frames cognitive distraction as a third source alongside visual and manual distraction and argues for policy attention to voice-based systems.
Key finding
Across three studies, cognitive workload from in-vehicle tasks falls on a reproducible scale where speech-to-text email imposes substantially higher demand than radio listening or phone conversation, and that workload directly degrades driving performance independent of eye and hand position.
Methodology
Three converging-operations studies with eight in-vehicle tasks; primary-task driving measures, DRT secondary-task RT, NASA-TLX subjective workload, and physiological measures (EEG P300/ocular) integrated into a standardized cognitive distraction scale.
Sample size: three studies (Ns reported in body, including 38, 32, and 28 across studies)
Quality score: 5 / 5