From young to old: The effects of information presentation type, multimodal display, and age on situation awareness and processing time in automated vehicles
DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2024.04.002
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Summary
This study investigates how human-machine interface (HMI) design affects situation awareness (SA) and information processing time during takeover requests in conditionally automated vehicles, with a specific focus on age-related differences. Motivated by the growing older adult population and the safety risks associated with age-related cognitive declines during vehicle takeovers, the researchers aimed to determine if multimodal displays and specific information presentation types could mitigate these risks. The study specifically examined the effects of display modality (tactile vs. visual-tactile), information type (instructional, informative, or baseline), and age group (younger vs. older adults) on driver performance. The experiment utilized a mixed-methods design involving 21 participants: 11 younger adults (18–29 years) and 10 older adults (65–76 years). Participants engaged in a simulated SAE Level 3 automated driving scenario using the miniSim driving simulator equipped with a tactile seat. During the simulation, the vehicle encountered complex scenarios requiring a takeover, such as construction zones with closing lanes. Participants received takeover requests via three information types: instructional (directing drivers to the safest lane), informative (indicating obstacle locations), or baseline (warning only). These signals were presented either as single tactile vibrations or combined visual-tactile cues. Performance was measured objectively through information processing time (time from request to brake press) and SA scores derived from the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT). Subjective assessments of usefulness and satisfaction were also collected. The results indicated that multimodal (visual-tactile) displays significantly reduced information processing times compared to unimodal tactile displays. Younger adults processed information faster than older adults, though no significant age difference was found in SA levels. Regarding information type, informative signals yielded significantly higher situation awareness scores than instructional or baseline conditions. A significant interaction between display and information type revealed that while multimodal displays improved processing speed for informative signals, single tactile displays actually produced higher SA scores in baseline conditions. However, for both informative and instructional conditions, the visual-tactile combination resulted in higher SA scores than tactile-only displays. The findings suggest that multimodal interfaces, particularly those providing informative data about obstacle locations, enhance both the speed of response and the quality of situation awareness during automated vehicle takeovers. While younger adults processed information more quickly, the lack of significant age disparity in SA levels implies that well-designed HMIs can support older adults effectively. These results provide critical insights for designing next-generation in-vehicle interfaces that prioritize informative, multimodal cues to ensure safe and efficient transitions of control, particularly for aging drivers.
Key finding
Informative multimodal displays improved situation awareness and processing speed compared to instructional or unimodal alternatives, with younger adults processing information faster than older adults despite similar awareness levels.
Methodology
simulator
Sample size: 21
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via openalex_abstract on 2026-05-08 (7 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-05 |
| archive | success | core_acuk | — | — | 4 | 2026-06-02 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | partial | normalization | — | — | 3 | 2026-05-28 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 3 | 2026-06-06 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 18 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.
- situational awareness
- feedback modes
- automation
- mode awareness
- haptic feedback
- ehmi external hmi
- multisensory crossmodal
Information type
What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).
- Applied Guidance: design guidelines
- Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data
- Theoretical Contribution: conceptual framework