Linking working memory capacity and response inhibition ability to driving behavior and eye movements in young novice drivers

Abstract

The weakness of cognitive control in young novice drivers may be a potential mechanism leading to road traffic injuries and fatalities among this group. While previous research has demonstrated the association of cognitive control with risky driving, the mechanism of cognitive control in driving and the role of eye movements in this relationship remain unclear. Therefore, the present study aims to clarify the theoretical framework of the relationships between two typical cognitive control capacities, namely working memory and response inhibition, with driving performance and eye movements. The goals are to determine when working memory capacity (WMC) and response inhibition ability (RIA) influence driving performance, to explore the possible interactive moderating effect between WMC and RIA, and to reveal the mediating effect of eye movements in the relationship between cognitive control and driving performance. During the experimental process, participants completed two WMC tasks (visuospatial working memory (VSWM), and verbal working memory (VWM)), an RIA task (cued go/no-go), and a simulated driving task (including car-following, pedestrian-crossing, etc.). Experimental data were obtained from 49 young Chinese novice drivers. The results showed that WMC and RIA significantly predicted overall driving performance, and stronger cognitive control leading to better driving performance in terms of the percentage of time spent over the speed limit (speeding), the standard deviation of the lateral position from the central line (SDLP), driving performance score, accident frequency, minimum time to collision (TTC), braking reaction time (BRT), and time to meet pedestrian (TMP). Moreover, WMC was found to moderate the relationship between RIA and driving performance. Specifically, WMC significantly predicted the driving performance score, accident frequency, and TMP for drivers with lower inhibitory control, and the WMC prediction of BRT was more pronounced for inattentive drivers. WMC was also found to predict eye movements, including vigilance (horizontal and vertical gaze variability) and effort level (pupil dilation). The relationship between WMC and driving performance was also found to be mediated by eye movements. Specifically, vertical gaze variability mediated the effects of VSWM on the driving performance score, accident frequency, and BRT, as well as the effects of VWM on BRT. Furthermore, pupil dilation mediated the effects of VWM on BRT. This study also discusses the potential mechanism of risky driving from the cognitive perspective, and improves the theoretical framework of “working memory–eye movement–driving performance.” Thus, this research is of theoretical and practical significance for driver safety training and risky driving intervention.