Analysing Driver (In)Attentiveness : Towards a Cognitive Complexity Model Combining Visuospatial and Interactional Parameters

We investigate the role of visuospatial environmental cues on driver (in)attention in everyday naturalistic driving situations. We develop a cognitive model of visuospatial complexity incorporating two critical aspects influencing visual (in)attention: (1) multimodal interaction mechanisms such as gesture, joint attention amongst roadside stakeholders (e.g. pedestrians, cyclists, drivers); and (2) visuospatial environmental features such as clutter, motion, environmental structure. Our research emphasises the manner in which a cognitive human-factors guided model to analyse attentiveness can be applied to systematically explore the effects of a combination of environmental and interactional characteristics on visual attention in naturalistic driving. We position the application of the developed cognitive model to serve a foundational purpose in the training and testing of novel driver assistance technologies, e.g., from the viewpoint of systematic compliance with human-centered design guidelines.