Abstract
Integrating visual information spatially and temporally is important in motion perception and steering in a driving task. Our recent research showed that reduced optic flow quality and quantity impaired steering performance under reduced visibility conditions. However, it is not clear how the spatial and temporal integration of visual information affects steering control under these conditions. In the current study we examined the effect of low visibility on spatial and temporal integration in a coherent motion task, which was further compared to a steering control task under reduced visibility conditions for younger drivers. In the coherent motion task, displays consisted of a 2D array of dots, in which a portion of the dots moved in a uniform direction (i.e., being coherent) and the remaining dots moved in random directions (i.e., noise). Participants were instructed to report their perceived direction of the moving dots. Dot density, dot contrast, and dot lifetime were manipulated while coherency threshold was measured. In the steering control task, the visibility of the scene was manipulated by varying the quantity and quality of optical flow information. Nine participants were recruited to perform both the coherent motion task and the steering control task. We found that temporal integration and the quality of the stimuli affected performance on the coherent motion task. Global steering control performance was affected by optic flow quality, while local steering control performance was affected by the frequency of perturbation. Our analysis showed performance on the coherent motion task was correlated with local steering control performance under certain driving conditions. These results suggest that under reduced visibility conditions, temporal integration of visual information may play a larger role in steering control.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2014