The influence of anxiety on visual entropy of experienced drivers

Author(s)

Gotardi, Gisele ; Navarro, Martina ; Polastri, Paula F. ; Schor, Paulo ; Orth, Dominic ; Oudejans, Raoul ; van der Kamp, John ; Savelsbergh, Geert ; Rodrigues, Sergio T. ; ACM

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: EYE TRACKING AND VISUALIZATION (ETVIS 2018); v. N/A, p. 4-pg., 2018-01-01.

Abstract

This study tested the use of entropy to identify changes on behavior of drivers under pressure. Sixteen experienced drivers drove in a simulator wearing a head-mounted eye tracker under lowand high-anxiety conditions. Anxiety was induced by manipulating some psychological factors such as peer-pressure. Fixations transitions between AOIs (lane, speedometer and mirrors) were calculated through first-order transition matrix, transformed to Markov probability matrix and adjusted into the entropy equation. Drivers showed greater state-anxiety scores and higher mean heart rates following manipulation. Under anxiety, drivers showed higher visual entropy, indicating a more random scanning. The randomness implies into a poorer acquisition of information and may indicate an impaired top-down control of attention provoked by anxiety. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/10851-3 - Effects of anxiety and personality on the driving: eye tracking of expert and novice drivers
• Grantee: Gisele Chiozi Gotardi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master