ABSTRACT
The role of our chapter on attention/distraction in this book on visual and cognitive performance in driving is to point out the importance of attention for adequate perception and its insertion in the higher cognitive processes involved in driving. Attention is a necessary condition to achieve a complete perception. Here, attention is discussed from its dysfunctional side, usually called distraction. Our particular contribution stresses the effects of purely cognitive load as opposed to those involving visual load. Along these lines, the chapter condenses more than a decade of experimental research
Reflection ................................................................................................................. 75 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 76 5.2 Attention, Distraction, and Driving ................................................................ 76
5.2.1 Distraction, Attentional Efficiency, and Errors .................................. 76 5.2.2 Distraction and Accidents ...................................................................77 5.2.3 Distraction, Consciousness, and Attribution of Responsibility ..........77 5.2.4 Information Processing Errors and Types of Distraction ................... 78
5.3 Visual Attention in the Driving Context......................................................... 79 5.3.1 Characterization of the Driver’s Scenario ..........................................80 5.3.2 Visual Parameters, Visual Search, and Attention ..............................80
