VIRTUAL FORCE STIMULATION

University Of Rochester, Rochester NY

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Our major focus is the development of a driving simulator using a virtual display, with eye and head position monitoring. We chose driving as a test paradigm to investigate perceptual and cognitive function in a natural environment. Driving provides a good environment to study short-term cognitive information processing since crucial unprocessed information leads to an obvious behavioral outcome in driver errors. It also allows investigation of natural behavior in a situation that is still constrained enough to draw theoretically rigorous inferences. The relation of attention deficits to driver errors has been well established. Such deficits are far more correlated with accident records than visual deficits. One of the problems with classical paradigms is arranging for `unattended' stimuli to influence performance without covert attention shifts. This problem is almost always approached by using very brief presentations, which leaves open the question of how attention is deployed under natural conditions. In our driving simulator we can observe an extended behavioral sequence while maintaining tight experimental control. Covert attention shifts can be controlled by manipulating the demands of the primary driving task. Recent Progress. The car was mounted on a six degree-of-freedom motion platform which provides vestibular input.