Individual Differences in Glance Patterns under Distraction in Level 2 Automated Driving

This paper investigated individual differences in attentional strategies during the non-driving-related tasks in Level 2 automated driving. Ward’s method was used to cluster participants into different groups according to the characteristics of their sequential off-road glances in the email-sorting task: duration, frequency, variance, and intensity. The clustering results showed two types of sequential off-road glance patterns in distracted Level 2 driving: infrequent long glances vs. frequent short glances. However, participants in the two groups showed similar workload, driving engagement, and email-sorting accuracy. They also reported similar feelings of safety and feedback about the Level 2 vehicle automation. The glance differences demonstrated the complexity of attentional strategies among individual drivers, which is a necessary aspect of driver state to be monitored in automated driving.

Keeping the Goal in Sight: Testing the Influence of Narrowed Visual Attention on Physical Activity

Rates of physical inactivity continue to rise in the United States. With this work, we tested the efficacy of a strategy affecting the scope of visual attention designed to promote walking as a form of exercise. Specifically, we examined the influence of narrowed attention on the frequency (Studies 1a, 1b, and 3) and efficiency (Studies 2 and 4) of physical activity in general (Studies 1 and 2) and within exercise bouts measured across multiple days (Studies 3 and 4). We provide convergent evidence by investigating both individual differences in (Studies 1 and 2) and experimentally manipulated patterns of visual attention orienting (Studies 3 and 4). We discuss implications of attentional strategies for self-regulation and fitness.