The Driving Simulator as a Workload Research Tool

This paper shows that driving simulators may be used as a platform in which to study the workload and workload performance relationships. The participants were 8 adults with valid driver’s licenses. After a familiarization drive participants drove a route with five equidistant and symmetrical segments using a map and turn-by-turn directions. Upon completion participants retraced their journey without the use of map or directions. Measures of workload and simulation sickness were collected pre-immersion and after completion of each of the two driving phases. Significant differences in workload between conditions were present. No significant results from the simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) were presented. These finding suggest that the task was the primary contributor to workload, and support the use of driving and driving simulators as a workload research platform.