Detecting inattentiveness caused by mind-wandering during a driving task: A behavioral study. (January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yoshida, Kazuki; Sawamura, Daisuke; Yagi, Mikio; Nakashima, Yu; Saito, Ryuji; Yamamura, Nao; Ogasawara, Katsuhiko; Sakai, Shinya
• Is Part Of: Applied ergonomics. Volume 106(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-01
• Subjects: Driving -- Mind-wandering -- SART -- Attention -- Thought probe; 1 Abbreviations: default mode network (DMN) anterior medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) -- posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) posterior inferior parietal lobule (IPL) -- sustained attention response tasks (SART) Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) -- standard deviation (SD) analysis of variance (ANOVA); Human engineering -- Periodicals; 620.82
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2022.103892
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-6870

Abstract

Abstract: This study aims to investigate whether behavioral variability and participants' self-ratings can be used to detect mind-wandering while driving and to examine their effects on braking performance during a driving task. We created a novel driving task and added a sustained attention response task (SART). We examined the effects of mind-wandering on braking performance and whether mind-wandering could be detected from SART response variability. The within-subjects results showed that self-reports of inattentiveness during driving correlated significantly with SART response variability. Multiple regression analysis with brake reaction time as the dependent variable revealed a significant relationship between self-reports of inattentiveness and mind-wandering. However, there were no other consistent linear associations between mind-wandering and SART response variability. Our results not only suggest that inattentiveness to driving caused by mind-wandering impairs braking performance but also emphasize the importance and difficulty of detecting this state from behavioral data alone. Highlights: We created a new driving task by incorporating sustained attention response tasks. Participants can track their inattention to driving and mind-wandering separately. Inattention to driving caused by mind-wandering worsens driving performance. Mindfulness and safety awareness are related to inattention and mind-wandering. The ability of variable behavior to detect mind-wandering in driving was limited.