title: The effects of social interactions with in-vehicle agents on a driver's anger level, driving performance, situation awareness, and perceived workload.
abstract: Research has suggested that interaction with an in-vehicle software agent can improve a driver's psychological state and increase road safety. The present study explored the possibility of using an in-vehicle software agent to mitigate effects of driver anger on driving behavior. After either anger or neutral mood induction, 60 undergraduates drove in a simulator with two types of agent intervention. Results showed that both speech-based agents not only enhance driver situation awareness and driving performance, but also reduce their anger level and perceived workload. Regression models show that a driver's anger influences driving performance measures, mediated by situation awareness. The practical implications include design guidelines for the design of social interaction with in-vehicle software agents.
authors.affiliation: Mind Music Machine Lab, Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295, USA. Electronic address: mjeon@mtu.edu.
authors.forename: Myounghoon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Sonification Lab, School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Sonification Lab, School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Gable
mesh_terms: D000786:Anger; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards; D001336:Automobiles; D001364:Awareness; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: In-vehicle agent; Road rage; Situation awareness