R-3 Repository :: Browsing by Author "DeLucia, Patricia R."

Browsing by Author "DeLucia, Patricia R."

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A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Takeover Performance During Conditionally Automated Driving
(Sage, 2022) Weaver, Bradley W.; DeLucia, Patricia R.
Objective: The aim of this paper was to synthesize the experimental research on factors that affect takeover performance during conditionally automated driving. Background: For conditionally automated driving, the automated driving system (ADS) can handle the entire dynamic driving task but only for limited domains. When the system reaches a limit, the driver is responsible for taking over vehicle control, which may be affected by how much time they are provided to take over, what they were doing prior to the takeover, or the type of information provided to them during the takeover. Method: Out of 8446 articles identified by a systematic literature search, 48 articles containing 51 experiments were included in the meta-analysis. Coded independent variables were time budget, non-driving related task engagement and resource demands, and information support during the takeover. Coded dependent variables were takeover timing and quality measures. Results: Engaging in non-driving related tasks results in degraded takeover performance, particularly if it has overlapping resource demands with the driving task. Weak evidence suggests takeover performance is impaired with shorter time budgets. Current implementations of information support did not affect takeover performance. Conclusion: Future research and implementation should focus on providing the driver more time to take over while automation is active and should further explore information support. Application: The results of the current paper indicate the need for the development and deployment of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) services and driver monitoring.
Does Perceived Harm Underlie Effects of Vehicle Size on Overtaking Judgments during Driving?
(Sage, 2018) Levulis, Samuel J.; DeLucia, Patricia R.; Yang, James; Nelson, Vivian; National Science Foundation, Award #1853936
Previous research found that participants accepted more gaps during overtaking (in a driving simulator) when the oncoming vehicle was a motorcycle compared with larger vehicles (Levulis, DeLucia & Jupe, 2015). Results were due to the size of the vehicle independently of the type of the vehicle, and represented shifts in response bias instead of sensitivity. The implication is that drivers may perceive motorcycles as being farther away or travelling more slowly than larger vehicles due to their relatively small sizes, contributing to crashes that result from right-of-way violations (Hurt, Ouellet, & Thom, 1981; Pai, 2011). However, in Levulis et al. (2015) vehicle size was correlated with the perceived threat of collision and associated harm posed by the oncoming vehicle (collision with larger vehicles is more harmful than with smaller vehicles). To eliminate this confound, a driving simulator was used to examine whether overtaking judgments are influenced by the size of an oncoming vehicle even when threat of (simulated) collision is removed. The size-arrival effect occurred nevertheless, suggesting that participants relied on perceived distance and speed rather than perceived harm. Countermeasures to misjudgments of gaps during overtaking should include driver-assistance technologies and driver education.
Does the Size-Arrival Effect Occur With an Active Collision-Avoidance Task in an Immersive 3D Virtual Reality Environment?
(Sage, 2021) DeLucia, Patricia R.; Braly, Adam M.; Savoy, Bria R.; National Science Foundation, Award #1853936
Objective: Determine whether the size-arrival effect (SAE) occurs with immersive, 3D visual experiences and active collision-avoidance responses. Background: When a small near object and a large far object approach the observer at the same speeds, the large object appears to arrive before the small object, known as the size-arrival effect (SAE), which may contribute to crashes between motorcycles and cars. Prior studies of the SAE were limited because they used two dimensional displays and asked participants to make passive judgments. Method: Participants viewed approaching objects using a virtual reality (VR) headset. In an active task, participants ducked before the object hit them. In a passive prediction-motion (PM) judgment, the approaching object disappeared, and participants pressed a button when they thought the object would hit them. In a passive relative TTC judgment, participants reported which of two approaching objects would reach them first. Results: The SAE occurred with the PM and relative TTC tasks but not with the ducking task. The SAE can occur in immersive 3D environments but is limited by the nature of the task and display. Application: Certain traffic situations may be more prone to the SAE and have higher risk for collisions. For example, in left-turn scenarios (e.g., see Levulis, 2018), drivers make passive judgments when oncoming vehicles are far and optical expansion is slow, and binocular disparity putatively is ineffective. Collision-avoidance warning systems may be needed more in such scenarios than when vehicles are near and drivers’ judgments of TTC may be more accurate (DeLucia, 2008).
Effect of motorcycle lighting configurations on drivers’ perceptions of closing during nighttime driving
(Elsevier, 2022) Weaver, Bradley W.; DeLucia, Patricia R.
Objective: The aims were to better understand how drivers perceive an approaching set of motorcycle headlights during nighttime driving and to determine whether alternative motorcycle headlight configurations improve drivers’ perceptual judgments of closing for an oncoming motorcycle. Background: Motorcyclists account for a disproportionate number of roadway fatalities, especially at night. One potential cause of this is drivers’ misjudgments of a motorcycle’s approach. Method: The first experiment examined whether drivers were more sensitive to horizontal or vertical optical expansion and whether drivers could integrate these two dimensions to achieve a lower looming threshold. A second experiment built on these results to test whether alternative headlight configurations that maximized size were better than other motorcycle headlight configurations and a car’s headlights. In both experiments, participants were instructed to press a button to indicate when they first perceived an oncoming vehicle to be closing under nighttime driving conditions. Results: Headlight orientation did not affect when drivers perceived closing, and drivers were not able to integrate optical expansion from multiple dimensions in a way that achieves a lower looming threshold. However, the alternative motorcycle headlight configurations that accentuated the full extent of a motorcycle’s size resulted in drivers perceiving closing sooner than other motorcycle headlight configurations but not sooner than a car. Conclusion: Drivers perceive closing sooner for larger headlight configurations except when the headlight configurations are relatively small, in which case the effect of headlight size is attenuated. Application: Drivers’ perceptual judgments of motorcycles may improve when motorcycles have headlights that span its full height.
Effects of task demands on tactile vigilance
(Springer Nature, 2023) DeLucia, Patricia R.; Greenlee, Eric T.
A performance decline during sustained monitoring of unpredictable and occasional signals, the vigilance decrement, has been studied mostly in the visual and auditory modalities, but a tactile vigilance decrement also has been observed and has been associated with high perceived workload, declines in sensitivity and task engagement, and increases in distress. The primary aim of the current study was to determine whether task demands affect the vigilance decrement in the tactile modality and whether the effects are similar to those observed in the auditory and visual modalities. Participants completed a 40-min vigil in which they monitored vibrotactile stimuli generated by a tactor and had to discriminate between durations of bursts of vibrations. Task demand was varied by including low and high event rates. Although correct detections decreased over time (vigilance decrement) and sensitivity was greater for the slower event rate, there was not an interaction between period of watch and event rate. There also were no differences in workload and stress between event rates. Results indicate that mean performance in tactile vigilance tasks is negatively impacted by increases in event rate, indicating that a typical source of task demand known to affect visual and auditory vigilance also affects tactile vigilance. Results could be explained by either an underload or overload theory of the vigilance decrement.
Factors That Affect Drivers' Perception of Closing and an Immediate Hazard
(Sage, 2023) Weaver, Bradley W.; DeLucia, Patricia R.; Jupe, Jason
Objective: To measure the looming threshold for when drivers perceive closing and an immediate hazard and determine what factors affect these thresholds. Background: Rear-end collisions are a common type of crash. One key issue is determining when drivers first perceive they need to react. The looming threshold for closing and an immediate hazard are critical perceptual thresholds that reflect when drivers perceive they need to react. Method: Two driving simulator experiments examined whether engaging in a cell phone conversation and whether the complexity of the roadway environment affect these thresholds for the perception of closing and immediate hazard. Half of the participants engaged in a cognitive task, the last letter task, to emulate a cell phone conversation, and all participants experienced both simple and complex roadway environments. Results: Drivers perceived an immediate hazard later when engaged in a cell phone conversation than when not engaged in a conversation but only when the driving task was relatively less demanding (e.g., simple roadway, slow closing velocity). Compared to simple scenes, drivers perceived closing and an immediate hazard later for complex scenes but only when closing velocity was 30 mph (48.28 km/h) or greater. Conclusion: Cell phone conversation can affect when drivers perceive an immediate hazard when the roadway is less demanding. Roadway complexity can affect when drivers perceive closing and an immediate hazard when closing velocity is high. Application: Results can aid accident analysis cases and the design of driving automation systems by suggesting when a typical driver would respond.
Learning to Become Researchers: Lessons Learned from a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program Focused on Research in the Psychological Sciences with Real-World Implications
(Council on Undergraduate Research, 2021) DeLucia, Patricia R.; Woods, Amanda L.; Kim, Jeong-Hee; Nguyen, Ngan; Wang, Eugene W.; Yang, James; National Science Foundation, Award #1853936
We report results of a research study of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site focused on psychological research with clear applications to the real world. Two cohorts of undergraduates engaged in rigorous research projects with implications for real-world problems such as driving, homeland security, relationships, human computer interaction, language comprehension and production, discrimination, and health psychology. To determine the effectiveness of the program, students completed the Kardash Ratings of Interns’ Research Skills, and the Undergraduate Research Questionnaire; kept journals, and completed exit interviews. Results indicated that students and mentors perceived an improvement in the students’ research skills. Students conveyed positive experiences and identified strengths and weaknesses of the program that can be used to improve future REUs.
Object shape affects hand grip function for heavy objects in younger and older adults
(Taylor & Francis, 2021) Cruz, Jazmin; Garcia, Mario; Garza, Cecilia; DeLucia, Patricia R.; Yang, James; National Science Foundation, Award #1853936
Hand-grip function while lifting objects is essential for performing everyday tasks. The Box and Block Test (BBT) has been used to assess hand-grip function and dexterity, but only light objects have been used. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of block surface, shape, age, and sex on hand dexterity during the movement of heavy blocks in the BBT. Forty healthy participants comprised of a younger group of 10 males (M = 22.50 years, SD = 2.01) and 10 females (M = 22.20 years, SD = 2.66) between 20 and 30-years-old, and an older group of 10 males (M = 55.80 years, SD = 3.19) and 10 females (M = 55.90 years, SD = 2.56) between 50 and 60-years-old, performed the BBT using steel objects of different shapes (cylindrical and cubic) and different surfaces (plain steel, black spray-painted steel, and yellow non-slip spray-painted steel). The results indicated that repetition and shape had significant effects on the BBT score. Previous researchers have found that surface textures, age, and sex influenced hand dexterity for light objects, but these effects were not discovered in the current study. These findings suggest that shape should take priority over age, sex, and surface texture when designing tools to improve user handling.
Topical Review: Impact of Central Vision Loss on Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance while Walking
(Wolters Kluwer, 2022) Cloutier, Melissa; DeLucia, Patricia R.
SIGNIFICANCE : Individuals with central vision loss are at higher risk of injury when walking and thus may limit trips outside the home. Understanding the mobility challenges associated with central vision loss (CVL) can lead to more effective interventions. A systematic literature review focusing on mobility in CVL was conducted. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method, 2424 articles were identified in 4 databases (PsycINFO, APA PsycArticles, PubMed, and Web of Science). To be included within this review, the study methodology needed to be related to the three components of walking: (1) navigation, defined as the ability to reach a target destination; (2) obstacle avoidance, defined as the ability to avoid collisions with obstacles located at various heights and directions; and (3) street crossing, defined as the ability to both navigate a path and avoid collisions in a traffic environment. The methodology also needed to be empirical. Case studies, unstructured observational studies, studies based on self-report, research proposals, and existing systematic reviews were excluded. Titles, abstracts, and full text of identified articles were screened, yielding 26 articles included in the review. Results showed that, in many tasks, individuals with CVL can accomplish a level of performance comparable with individuals with normal vision. Differences between normal and impaired vision were due to either age or how the groups completed the task. For example, individuals with CVL could cross a street successfully but did so less safely (i.e., smaller safety margins) than individuals with normal vision. To identify new interventions for CVL, future research should focus on the differences in the mechanisms underlying mobility between individuals with normal and impaired vision rather than solely on performance differences.

Browsing by Author "DeLucia, Patricia R."

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