Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
Hum Factors. 2025 Jan;67(1):21-31. doi: 10.1177/00187208241237860. Epub 2024 Mar 15.
The counterintuitive "Union Jack"-inspired turn signals on versions of BMW's Mini vehicles was investigated to reveal potential impacts on human performance.
When some Mini drivers indicate a change in direction, they do so with an oppositely oriented arrow. This conflict, between the task-irrelevant spatial shape and task-relevant location of the signal, mimics a "converse" spatial-Stroop effect that, in combination with the ubiquitous use of arrows on road signs, may be confusing.
Participants ( = 30) responded-via right and left keypresses-to the directions of road signs and turn signals in both pure and mixed blocks. Reaction times and accuracies were recorded to determine performance in each condition (compatible, neutral, incompatible).
Performance suffered when the location and direction of the stimuli did not correspond. When responding to turn signals the cost to performance was especially salient in mixed blocks. Thus, when driving on roads where the meanings of arrows on road signs is important, turn signals pointing in a direction opposite from the directional intention indicated by the signals' location are likely to be confusing.
The design of some Mini's "Union Jack" style taillights opposes well-established principles of cognitive functioning, caused confusion in our laboratory study and therefore may be a safety hazard-a possibility that ought to be explored in more realistic (e.g., driving simulator) situations.
BMW designers should consider universally adopting the neutral, "horizontal line," illumination style that is currently available in the aftermarket.
研究宝马迷你（Mini）车辆版本中具有违直觉的“联合杰克”（Union Jack）风格的转向灯，以揭示其对人类性能的潜在影响。
当一些迷你车驾驶员指示转向时，他们使用的是指向相反方向的箭头。这种任务无关的空间形状与信号任务相关的位置之间的冲突，模拟了一种“反向”空间斯特鲁普效应，再加上道路标志上普遍使用箭头，可能会令人困惑。
参与者（n = 30）通过左右按键来响应道路标志和转向灯的方向，实验采用纯和混合两种刺激呈现方式。记录反应时间和准确率，以确定每种条件（兼容、中性、不兼容）下的表现。
当刺激的位置和方向不对应时，表现会受到影响。在混合块中，当对转向信号做出反应时，性能的损失尤其明显。因此，当在道路上行驶时，道路标志上箭头的含义很重要，如果转向信号指向与信号位置指示的方向相反的方向，可能会令人困惑。
一些迷你车“联合杰克”风格尾灯的设计违反了认知功能的既定原则，在我们的实验室研究中引起了混淆，因此可能存在安全隐患——这种可能性应该在更现实的（例如驾驶模拟器）情况下进行探索。
宝马设计师应考虑普遍采用目前在售后市场可用的中性、“水平线”照明风格。
