On the highway to autonomous driving: how is automation changing humans? Investigations of drivers’ behaviors, representations and neural processes. – AUTODRIVE

In the context of ever-increasing automation in surface vehicles, automation impact on drivers is investigated through three complementary research axes undertaken under simulated driving:
Axe 1 (Cognitive ergonomics), how automation is impacting driving behaviors and visual explorations?
Axe 2 (Experimental psychology), how automation is impacting drivers’ mental representations of their own driving abilities?
Axe 3 (Neuroimaging), how automation is modifying the car driving neural network? And what are drivers’ mental representations neural bases?

Based on a quantitative meta-analysis, we highlighted the brain networks involved in driving activity. Based on these analyses and the existing literature, we have proposed a neuro-ergonomic model of the automobile driver.

We also showed that when driving is automated, drivers change their visual information-taking strategies from the first minutes of automated driving. In more details, drivers spend less time looking at the road immediately in front of them and look further upstream.

The main results will only be available once all data are collected (7 experimental waves). The next few months will therefore be devoted to the collection of new experimental data.

1. Navarro, J., Osiurak, F. Ovigue, M., Charrier, L., & Reynaud, E. (2019). Highly automated driving impact on drivers' gaze behaviors during a car-following task. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 35 (11), 1008-1017. doi: 10.1080/10447318.2018.1561788
2. Navarro, J., Reynaud, E., & Osiurak, F. (2018). Neuroergonomics of car driving: A critical meta-analysis of neuroimaging data on the human brain behind the wheel. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 95, 464-479. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.10.016

1. Navarro, J., Osiurak, F. & Reynaud, E. (2019). Driving automation impact of driver’s gaze behaviours. 21th Conference of the European Society for Cognitive Psychology (ESCOP), Tenerife, Spain, 25-28 September 2019.
2. Reynaud, E., Osiurak, F. & Navarro, J. (2018) There’s a brain behind the wheel: a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies of car driving in simulated environments. Neuroergonomics 2018, Philadelphia, United States of America, June 27-29, 2018.

In the context of ever-increasing automation in surface vehicles, automation impact on drivers will be investigated through three complementary research axes undertaken under simulated driving:
Axe 1 (Cognitive ergonomics), how automation is impacting driving behaviors and visual explorations?
Axe 2 (Experimental psychology), how automation is impacting drivers' mental representations of their own driving abilities?
Axe 3 (Neuroimaging), how automation is modifying the car driving neural network? And what are drivers' mental representations neural bases?
The project tackle both applied and basic research issues using an original experimental neuroergonomics approach. AUTODRIVE will bring original data on human-machine cooperation, mental representations, cognitive control and brain processes depending on the characteristics of the automation used over a significant period of time (six weeks) on a large sample (N=120) of experienced and inexperienced drivers.