Psychological constructs in driving automation: a consensus model and critical comment on construct proliferation

Abstract

As automation in vehicles becomes more prevalent, the call for understanding the behaviour of the driver while driving an automated vehicle becomes more salient. Although a variety of driver behaviour models exist, and various psychological constructs have been said to be influenced by automation, an empirically testable psychological model of automated driving has yet to be developed. Building upon Stanton and Young's model of driving automation, this article presents an updated model of interrelated psychological constructs. The proposed model was created based upon a systematic literature search of driving automation papers and a subsequent quantification of the number of reported links between a selected set of psychological constructs. A secondary aim of this article is to reach consensus in the use of psychological constructs regarding driving automation. Henceforth special attention is paid to resolving the issue of construct proliferation.

Keywords:

• Psychological constructs
• driving automation
• driver model
• construct proliferation

Acknowledgements

The authors are involved in the Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN): HFAuto (PITN-GA-2013-605817).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniël D. Heikoop

Daniël D. Heikoop received his MSc degree in applied cognitive psychology from Utrecht University in 2012. He is currently a PhD candidate at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands, and working at the University of Southampton, being involved in the Marie Curie Initial Training Network funded project HF-AUTO. Within this project, he focuses on human psychology and behaviour in highly automated platoons, using psychophysiology to assess interrelationships between psychological constructs in that domain.

Joost C.F. de Winter

Joost C. F. de Winter received his MSc degree in aerospace engineering and PhD degree (cum laude) from the Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands, in 2004 and 2009, respectively. He is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology. His research interests include human factors and statistical modelling, including the study of individual differences, driver behaviour modelling, multivariate statistics, and research methodology.

Bart van Arem

Bart van Arem received his MSc and PhD degrees in applied mathematics, specialising on queuing theory from the University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands, in 1986 and 1990, respectively. From 1992 to 2009, he was a researcher and a programme manager with TNO, working on intelligent transport systems, in which he has been active in various national and international projects. Since 2009, he has been a full professor of transport modelling with the Department of Transport and Planning, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands, focusing on the impact of intelligent transport systems on mobility, in particular cooperative and automated driving.

Neville A. Stanton

Neville Stanton, PhD, DSc, is both a chartered psychologist and a chartered engineer and holds the Chair in Human Factors in the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton. He has degrees in psychology, applied psychology, and human factors engineering. His research interests include modelling, predicting, and analysing human performance in transport systems as well as designing interfaces between humans and technology. Prof. Stanton has been working on cockpit design in automobiles and aircraft over the past 25 years, in a variety of automation projects. He has published over 30 books and 240 journal papers on ergonomics and human factors, and is currently an editor of the peer-reviewed journal Ergonomics. The Institution of Ergonomics and Human Factors awarded him The Otto Edholm Medal in 2001, The President's Medal in 2008, and The Sir Frederic Bartlett Medal in 2012 for his contribution to basic and applied ergonomics research. The Royal Aeronautical Society awarded him and his colleagues the Hodgson Prize and Bronze Medal in 2006 for research on the design-induced flight-deck error.