title: Translating cognitive neuroscience to the driver's operational environment: a neuroergonomic approach.
abstract: Neuroergonomics provides a multidisciplinary translational approach that merges elements of neuroscience, human factors, cognitive psychology, and ergonomics to study brain structure and function in everyday environments. Driving safety, particularly that of older drivers with cognitive impairments, is a fruitful application domain for neuroergonomics. Driving makes demands on multiple cognitive processes that are often studied in isolation and so presents a useful challenge in generalizing findings from controlled laboratory tasks to predict safety outcomes. Neurology and the cognitive sciences help explain the mechanisms of cognitive breakdowns that undermine driving safety. Ergonomics complements this explanation with the tools for systematically exploring the various layers of complexity that define the activity of driving. A variety of tools, such as part task simulators, driving simulators, and instrumented vehicles, provide a window into cognition in the natural settings needed to assess the generalizability of laboratory findings and can provide an array of potential interventions to increase driving safety.
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Monica N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Lees
authors.forename: Joshua D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cosman
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fricke
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rizzo
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D006804:Ergonomics; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009488:Neurosciences; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment