The Driving Simulator as a Workload Research Tool

This paper shows that the driving simulator may be used as a platform in which to study workload and workload performance relationship. 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 the map or directions. Measures of workload and simulation sickness were collected pre-immersion and after completion of each of the two driving phases. Significant difference in workload between conditions were present. No significant results from the simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) were present. These findings suggest that the task was the primary contributor to workload, and support the use of driving and driving simulators as a workload research platform.