Investigating the Influence of Working Memory Processes on the Box Task combined with a Detection Response Task

Trommler, Daniel; Morgenstern, Tina; Hollander, Cornelia; Karl, Ines; Naujoks, Frederik; Krems, Josef; Keinath, Andreas · 2022 · Crossref

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1002460

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Summary

This study investigates how cognitive working memory processes influence performance on the Box Task (BT) combined with a tactile Detection Response Task (DRT), a method designed to assess driver distraction from in-vehicle systems. The research addresses the growing need to evaluate the distraction potential of modern, multimodal in-vehicle interfaces, which often shift demand from visual-manual to auditory-verbal modalities. While previous research established that the BT is sensitive to visual-manual demand and the DRT to cognitive demand, this study specifically examines the impact of auditory-verbal cognitive tasks on this combined metric. The theoretical framework relies on Wickens’ Multiple Resource Model, which posits that interference occurs when tasks compete for the same cognitive resources. The experiment involved 32 participants who performed a mixed-design study. The primary independent variable was the cognitive secondary task, a within-subjects factor with five levels: no secondary task (baseline), an easy and difficult version of an n-back task, and an easy and difficult version of a memory scanning task (MST). The secondary independent variable was the duration of practice with the BT + DRT, a between-subjects factor. Participants performed the BT, a continuous tracking task simulating car-following, while simultaneously responding to tactile stimuli via the DRT. Performance was measured using standard deviations of box position and size for the BT, and hit rates and reaction times for the DRT. Self-reported mental workload was assessed using the Rating Scale for Mental Effort (RSME). Results indicated that the BT was largely insensitive to cognitive task demand. No significant differences were found in box size variability across conditions. Box position variability showed a significant effect only for the difficult n-back task, which resulted in higher standard deviations compared to baselines and easier tasks. In contrast, the DRT proved highly sensitive to cognitive load. Both DRT hit rates and reaction times differed significantly between baseline drives and dual-task conditions. The difficult n-back task yielded the lowest hit rates and longest reaction times, significantly outperforming the easy n-back and both MST conditions. Secondary task accuracy was near 100% for all conditions except the difficult n-back task, where accuracy dropped to 86%. RSME ratings confirmed that the difficult n-back task was perceived as significantly more demanding than all other conditions. The findings suggest that the BT + DRT method is suitable for differentiating between visual-manual and cognitive task demand dimensions. The DRT’s high sensitivity to cognitive load makes it a robust indicator for assessing the impact of auditory-verbal secondary tasks, such as voice-based in-vehicle systems. The slight impact of the difficult n-back task on BT position variability suggests that only highly demanding cognitive tasks interfere with visual-manual tracking, likely due to shared perceptual-cognitive resources. These results support the use of the DRT as a primary metric for evaluating cognitive distraction in driver-vehicle interaction studies, while the BT remains a specific tool for visual-manual demand assessment.

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Topics

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• mental demand
• workload measurement
• dual task performance
• cognitive capacity variation
• dual task multitasking
• visual manual

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: behavioral performance data
• Methodological Resource: measurement protocol
• Theoretical Contribution: theory or model