Assisting the older driver - SWOV
Assisting the older driver - SWOV
Assisting the older driver - SWOV
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Effects of a <strong>driver</strong> support system on workload and driving performance<br />
Functional age<br />
Young Middle Old<br />
Total<br />
Young (30‐50) 27 42 2 71 a<br />
Old (70+) 1 8 24 33<br />
Total 28 50 26 104<br />
a<br />
One chronologically young person did not complete <strong>the</strong> cognitive tests and<br />
could <strong>the</strong>refore not be assigned to one of <strong>the</strong> functional age groups.<br />
Table 8.1. Comparison of chronological and functional age groups (number of<br />
participants).<br />
8.2.2. Procedure<br />
Participants were recruited by means of a newspaper article about <strong>the</strong><br />
driving simulator, and by advertisements in supermarkets. All participants<br />
who had shown interest in participating in <strong>the</strong> study by ringing us or<br />
sending an e‐mail were called back to test <strong>the</strong>m on sensitivity to simulator<br />
sickness and to check <strong>the</strong>ir driving experience. Those who appeared not to be<br />
sensitive to simulator sickness as indicated by never or seldom being sick<br />
while travelling by plane, train, boat or as a passenger at <strong>the</strong> back seat of a<br />
car (see Hoffman, Molino & Inman, 2003), and who had more than five years<br />
of driving experience were invited to participate in this study. Those willing<br />
to participate were informed about <strong>the</strong> experimental procedure and received<br />
some extra information by mail, as well as an informed consent form, a<br />
questionnaire on driving behaviour including questions on appreciation of a<br />
hypo<strong>the</strong>tical <strong>driver</strong> support system (see Questionnaire), and information on<br />
how to find <strong>the</strong> driving simulator that was located in <strong>the</strong> University Medical<br />
Centre in Groningen (UMCG).<br />
Participants were invited twice to <strong>the</strong> UMCG. During <strong>the</strong>ir first visit, <strong>the</strong>y<br />
returned <strong>the</strong> completed questionnaire and <strong>the</strong>ir signed informed consent<br />
form, <strong>the</strong>y were administered <strong>the</strong> three tests on neuropsychological<br />
functioning (see Section 8.2.1), and <strong>the</strong>y drove in <strong>the</strong> driving simulator for<br />
about 10 minutes as an extra test on sensitivity to simulator sickness. Thirtythree<br />
subjects (15 <strong>older</strong> and 18 younger participants) did not feel comfortable<br />
driving in <strong>the</strong> simulator car as indicated by <strong>the</strong>ir score on a questionnaire on<br />
simulator sickness (based on <strong>the</strong> Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ);<br />
Kennedy, Lane, Berbaum & Lilienthal, 1993). Therefore, <strong>the</strong>y were not<br />
invited for <strong>the</strong> second visit to <strong>the</strong> UMCG.<br />
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