Objective

We experimentally test the effect of cognitive load on auditory susceptibility during automated driving.

Background

In automated vehicles, auditory alerts are frequently used to request human intervention. To ensure safe operation, human drivers need to be susceptible to auditory information. Previous work found reduced susceptibility during manual driving and in a lesser amount during automated driving. However, in practice, drivers also perform nondriving tasks during automated driving, of which the associated cognitive load may further reduce susceptibility to auditory information. We therefore study the effect of cognitive load during automated driving on auditory susceptibility.

Method

Twenty-four participants were driven in a simulated automated car. Concurrently, they performed a task with two levels of cognitive load: repeat a noun or generate a verb that expresses the use of this noun. Every noun was followed by a probe stimulus to elicit a neurophysiological response: the frontal P3 (fP3), which is a known indicator for the level of auditory susceptibility.

Results

The fP3 was significantly lower during automated driving with cognitive load compared with without. The difficulty level of the cognitive task (repeat or generate) showed no effect.

Conclusion

Engaging in other tasks during automated driving decreases auditory susceptibility as indicated by a reduced fP3.

Application

Nondriving task can create additional cognitive load. Our study shows that performing such tasks during automated driving reduces the susceptibility for auditory alerts. This can inform designers of semi-automated vehicles (SAE levels 3 and 4), where human intervention might be needed.

中文翻译：

---

认知负荷对自动驾驶听觉敏感性的影响

客观的

我们通过实验测试了认知负荷对自动驾驶过程中听觉敏感性的影响。

背景

在自动驾驶车辆中，听觉警报经常用于请求人工干预。为确保安全操作，人类驾驶员需要对听觉信息敏感。之前的工作发现手动驾驶期间的敏感性降低，自动驾驶期间的敏感性降低。然而，在实践中，驾驶员在自动驾驶过程中也会执行非驾驶任务，其中相关的认知负荷可能会进一步降低对听觉信息的敏感性。因此，我们研究了自动驾驶过程中认知负荷对听觉敏感性的影响。

方法

二十四名参与者被驾驶在一辆模拟的自动驾驶汽车中。同时，他们执行了一项具有两个认知负荷水平的任务：重复一个名词或生成一个表达该名词用法的动词。每个名词后跟一个探测刺激以引发神经生理反应：额叶 P3 (fP3)，这是听觉敏感性水平的已知指标。

结果

与没有认知负荷的情况相比，在有认知负荷的自动驾驶过程中，fP3 显着降低。认知任务（重复或生成）的难度级别没有显示出任何影响。

结论

如 fP3 降低所示，在自动驾驶期间从事其他任务会降低听觉敏感性。

应用

非驾驶任务会产生额外的认知负荷。我们的研究表明，在自动驾驶期间执行此类任务会降低对听觉警报的敏感性。这可以为可能需要人工干预的半自动车辆（SAE 3 级和 4 级）的设计者提供信息。