Assessment of Attention Deficits and Unsafe Driving After TBI Using Eye Tracking and Virtual Reality

Abstract

Attention is a necessary cognitive domain for safe driving. Research has consistently found that inattention and distraction are the primary causes of motor vehicle accidents. Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently report attention problems, as well as show impaired driving ability across the injury spectrum, from mild to severe. Driving fitness assessment has relied primarily on neuropsychological test performance and on-road driving tests, methods which have limited effectiveness. New assessment tools, such as virtual reality driving simulators (VRDS) and eye-tracking, may be able to replicate the cognitive demands of driving and measure subtler deficits. Using a novel eye tracking assessment tool, the Bethesda Eye and Attention Measure (BEAM), the current study examined 29 individuals with TBI to determine the influence of attention deficits on driving behaviors in a VRDS; data for 20 to 25 participants were available to include in each primary analysis. A second objective of the study was to examine the predictive validity of both the BEAM and VRDS by examining their relationships with self-reported unsafe driving behaviors on a driving questionnaire over a four-week period. Results did not find significant relationships between attention deficits and driving behaviors (VR and self-report). Study limitations, including small sample size and use of instruments with limited psychometric data, may have impacted the ability to detect these relationships. Examination of effect sizes reveals promising trends for larger-scale studies using these novel methods. Further research is needed to help clarify the relationships between eye tracking, VR driving measures, and real-world driving behaviors.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 13, 2018
Accession Number
AD1128319

Entities

People

  • Brian J. Guise

Organizations

  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Brain
  • Brain Injuries
  • Cognition
  • Cognitive Science
  • Cognitive Workload
  • Craniocerebral Trauma
  • Depression
  • Disability Administration
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Head Injuries
  • Health Services
  • Human Behavior
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Information Processing
  • Measurement
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mobile Phones
  • Motor Vehicle Accidents
  • Neurosciences
  • Parkinson'S Disease
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology
  • Road Tests
  • Test Methods
  • Virtual Reality

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neurotrauma and Rehabilitation Medicine.
  • Robotics and Automation.