Applicability of drivers' electrodermal response to the design of the traffic environment

Abstract

Measured electrodermal response, heart rate, and muscular activity for 60 Ss driving a rural test route. Brake pressure and steering wheel angle were also recorded, and traffic events encountered were categorized by the experimenter using a keyboard. Traffic event categories were then rank ordered according to magnitude of response. For electrodermal response and brake pressure, a correlation coefficient of .95 was obtained. Time sequence analyses of the drivers' physiological responses and motor activity showed that electrodermal responses were induced by the mental effort of the driving task rather than the physical effort necessary to maneuver the vehicle. Results have ergonomic implications for highway design. (19 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)