Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
Human-Centered Mobility Research Center (HCMRC), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2022 Mar 30;12(1):5410. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-08522-4.
The development of highly automated vehicles can meet elderly drivers' mobility needs; however, worse driving performance after a takeover request (TOR) is frequently found, especially regarding non-driving related tasks (NDRTs). This study aims to detect the correlation between takeover performance and underlying cognitive factors comprising a set of higher order cognitive processes including executive functions. Thirty-five young and 35 elderly participants were tested by computerized cognitive tasks and simulated driving tasks to evaluate their executive functions and takeover performance. Performance of n-back tasks, Simon tasks, and task switching were used to evaluate updating, inhibition, and shifting components of executive functions by principal component analysis. The performance of lane changing after TOR was measured using the standard deviation of the steering wheel angle and minimum time-to-collision (TTC). Differences between age groups and NDRT engagement were assessed by two-way mixed analysis of variance. Older participants had significantly lower executive function ability and were less stable and more conservative when engaged in NDRT. Furthermore, a significant correlation between executive function and lateral driving stability was found. These findings highlight the interaction between age-related differences in executive functions and takeover performance; thus, provide implications for designing driver screening tests or human-machine interfaces.
高度自动化车辆的发展可以满足老年驾驶员的机动性需求；然而，在接管请求（TOR）后，经常会发现驾驶性能下降，尤其是在非驾驶相关任务（NDRT）方面。本研究旨在检测接管性能与潜在认知因素之间的相关性，这些认知因素包括一系列高阶认知过程，包括执行功能。35 名年轻参与者和 35 名老年参与者接受了计算机化认知任务和模拟驾驶任务的测试，以评估他们的执行功能和接管性能。使用主成分分析，通过 n-back 任务、西蒙任务和任务切换来评估执行功能的更新、抑制和转换成分。通过转向盘角度标准差和最小碰撞时间（TTC）来测量 TOR 后的变道性能。通过双向混合方差分析评估年龄组差异和 NDRT 参与情况。与年轻参与者相比，老年参与者的执行功能能力明显较低，在参与 NDRT 时稳定性较差，且更为保守。此外，还发现执行功能与横向驾驶稳定性之间存在显著相关性。这些发现强调了执行功能与接管性能之间的年龄相关差异的相互作用，因此为设计驾驶员筛选测试或人机界面提供了启示。
