Driver's arousal and workload under partial vehicle automation
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Summary
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety technical report comparing driver arousal and workload under no automation (Level-0) vs partial automation (Level-2). On-road study evaluated 48 drivers (24 younger 21-42, 24 older 43-64) across four Level-2 vehicles (Cadillac CT6, Nissan Rogue, Tesla Model 3, Volvo XC90) on urban and rural Interstate routes (I-80 and I-15). Multimodal assessment included Detection Response Task (DRT) reaction time and hit rate, parietal alpha EEG power, ECG-derived heart rate and RMSSD heart rate variability, and survey ratings of nervousness, inattention, and excitement. Linear mixed-effects models were used to test for over- vs under-arousal patterns predicted by the Yerkes-Dodson framework.
Key finding
Under Level-2 automation, parietal alpha power and DRT hit rate were lower and DRT reaction time was longer than under manual driving, and drivers reported more nervousness and excitement, consistent with slightly increased attention to the driving environment rather than disengagement. Effects were statistically significant but small (at most ~2.7% of variance), indicating no meaningful arousal or workload difference between Level-0 and Level-2 in this on-road sample.
Methodology
On-road study with a 4 (Vehicle) x 2 (Age cohort: 21-42 vs 43-64) x 2 (Automation: Level-0 vs Level-2) x 2 (Interstate: I-80 vs I-15) factorial design. An in-vehicle researcher monitored data collection. Dependent measures included DRT (ISO 17488), parietal alpha EEG, ECG (heart rate, RMSSD), and survey items on nervousness, inattention, and excitement, analyzed with linear mixed-effects models.
Sample size: N=48 (24 younger adults aged 21-42, 24 older adults aged 43-64); each tested across vehicles and conditions
Quality score: 5 / 5