Work Safety

The Effect of Attention Cues Training on Saccadic Eye Movement and Learning Open Motor Skills in Novice: Quasi-Experimental Study

Introduction: The cues of the focus of attention, specifically the external focus of attention affect motor performance and improve motor learning. Researches in this field has mainly investigated closed motor skills in novices. Thus generalization of the findings to unpredictable tasks that require response adaptation to external stimuli (Open Skills) needs further investigation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of practicing attention cues on the eye saccade movement and learning the skill of receiving and sending volleyball service as an open skill in novices. Materials and Methods: The statistical sample of the current research was 20 novice female students with an age range of 10-12 years old, who were selected through convenient sampling and randomly organized into two groups (10 people) of technical and attention cues training. After the pre-test, the participants took part in 9 training sessions. The first and second retention tests were taken 48 hours and 4 weeks later, respective. Data in the performance variable were analysed using 3x2 mixed analysis of variance and in the saccade variable with the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The performance of the attention cues training group significantly increased compared to the technical training group from the pre-test to the first retention and the second retention (P = 0.007). The results of the Mann-Whitney U test in the saccade variable was not significant different between the groups at the first retention (P = 0.105) and the second retention (P = 0.089) phase. Conclusion: Apparently, the training of attention cues is a suitable method for teaching open skills to novices in sports. Keywords: Attention cues; Saccade; Motor skills Citation: Sharafiyan F, Shahbazi M, Tahmasebi-Boroujeni S, Moaamer-Ghalehkhalili Y. The Effect of Attention Cues Training on Saccadic Eye Movement and Learning Open Motor Skills in Novice: Quasi-Experimental Study. J Res Rehabil Sci 2023; 19.

1 version available:

The impact of sound in people’s behaviour in outdoor settings: A study using virtual reality and eye-tracking

This paper presents an analysis of space perception and how visual cues, such as landmarks and sound, are perceived and impact people's behaviour while exploring a given outdoor space. The primary goal of the research is to investigate how auditory sensations and visual stimuli influence people's behaviour in outdoor built environments. Our technique compares people's perception of the built environment in different conditions: the real world and a replicated virtual world. As a case study, a university campus was used, and four experimental conditions were designed. The study followed a between-subjects design, and the data collection included gaze data acquired from an eye-tracking device as well as self-reports. The study concludes that sound influences human behaviour in such settings. More specifically conclusions are that: i) human behaviour in virtual replications of the real space, including both visual and sound stimuli, is tendentially more similar to human behaviour in the real world than in simulations omitting sound; and ii) there is a difference in human behaviour when people explore the same virtually replicated outdoor space, by varying the presence of sound. This study is particularly useful for researchers working on the comparison between human behaviour in virtual and real environments, related to visual and sound stimuli.

6 versions available

Training to support appropriate reliance on advanced driver assistance systems

This dissertation explores the training techniques designed to support appropriate reliance on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). As these systems become increasingly prevalent in modern vehicles, it is crucial to ensure that drivers learn to use them correctly to enhance safety and efficiency. The research investigates various training methodologies and their effectiveness in promoting proper engagement with ADAS, addressing potential overreliance or misuse. The study aims to provide insights into how training can be optimized to improve driver interaction with these systems, thus contributing to overall road safety.

3 versions available

Transitions from presence, belonging to engaged participation in an inclusive classroom: an eye-tracking study

While many studies about special education needs (SEN) have discussed inclusive efforts in educational settings, more proximal research examining ways to support students with SEN in-process to achieve is needed. This study discussed proximal data, collected from eye trackers and lesson videos, showing how students with SEN transit between the state of presence, belonging, and engaged participation in an inclusive classroom. Using an eye tracking case study of an inclusive science classroom, with a focus on how science teachers support students with dyslexia to learn science, we unpacked how the teacher supported students through such a transformative experience. We characterised the transitions and examined how these transitions happen and found that the transitions were non-unidirectional and could be prematurely truncated due to a change in the teacher’s eye gaze. Some students might not move to the state of engaged participation during a lesson. These transitions were facilitated by the teaching practices. Implications for teachers of inclusive classrooms and research in inclusive classrooms were discussed.

2 versions available

Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Introduction: Drivers turning at urban intersections pose a high risk to Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), such as cyclists and pedestrians. In vehicle collisions with VRUs, driver attention misallocation is considered a leading contributor. While previous naturalistic studies have examined driver gaze behaviors at intersections, findings are limited to general gaze directions obtained through video analysis, meaning specific areas to which drivers attend cannot be determined. Method: We present a secondary analysis of an on-road instrumented vehicle dataset collected in 2019 which offers eye-tracking and video data from 26 experienced drivers (13 cyclists and 13 non-cyclists). Three coders jointly examined eye-tracking footage from four right-signalized turns (n = 96) to quantify drivers’ glance distributions to various areas of interest, including those most relevant to VRU safety when drivers turn. Individual temporal glance patterns and general attention allocation trends are presented and described. Results: (1) Relevant pedestrians were the top objects of glance irrespective of signal status, and (2) at red light turns, driver attention was heavily skewed toward leftward traffic. Conclusions: This analysis provides a detailed report of driver glance distributions toward scene-specific areas (as opposed to general directions) at urban intersections and discusses how these patterns may influence VRU safety. Practical applications: This study provides important information regarding the human factors challenges of vehicle-VRU collisions and their prevention.

1 version available:

Tunnel safety: A pilot study investigating drivers’ fixation characteristics when approaching tunnel entrance at different driving speeds

This study presents the results of a driving experiment study on spatiotemporal characteristics of drivers’ fixation when entering a tunnel portal with different driving speeds. The study was performed during the daytime in a relatively long tunnel. Six experienced drivers were recruited to participate in the driving experiment. Experimental data of pupil area and fixation point position (from 200 m before the tunnel to the tunnel portal) were collected by non-intrusive eye-tracking equipment for three predetermined vehicle speeds (40 km/h, 60 km/h and 80 km/h). Fixation maps (color-coded maps showing distributed data) were created from fixation point position data to quantify visual behaviour changes. The results demonstrated that vehicle speed has a significant impact on pupil area and fixation zones. Fixation area and average pupil area had a significant negative correlation with vehicle speed during the daytime. Moreover, drivers concentrated more on the tunnel entrance portal, front road pavement and car control wheeling. The results revealed that the relationship between pupil area and vehicle speed fitted an exponential function. Limitations and future directions of the study are also discussed.

2 versions available

Vehicle Braking Performance and Saccadic Eye Movement with Different Illuminance Transmission Exposures in Digital Driving Simulation

During driving, the eye moves as we shift the focus of our eye from one point of interest to another point, known as saccadic eye movement. Although the eye movement is not affected under different illuminance conditions during driving, the movement is involved in the ability to drive. This study investigates the correlation between saccadic eye movement and vehicle braking performance when the illuminance transmission was reduced by introducing a neutral density filter in front of the eyes. This is conducted by exposing four levels of illuminance transmission which are 100%, 50%, 30%, and 15% with driving simulation as braking performance is measured. Based on the baseline data from our preceding saccadic investigation on the same subjects using the Dikablis eye tracker, the braking performance is analyzed together with the eye movement data. Twenty-eight young adults with proper license and driving experience, as well as a good history of systemic, ocular, and binocular vision health, are involved in this study. The driving task is conducted via driving simulation, with the subjects instructed to drive naturally. There is no significant correlation between the number of saccadic eye movements and all investigated vehicle braking performances (speed, time, and length) under reduced illuminance transmissions of 30% and 15% (p>0.05). While our previous investigation reveals that the saccadic eye movement is not affected by different illuminance transmissions when driving, this current study concludes that the vehicle braking performance is not correlated with the saccades while driving under those low illuminance exposures.

1 version available:

A multimodal psychological, physiological and behavioural dataset for human emotions in driving tasks

Human emotions are integral to daily tasks, and driving is now a typical daily task. Creating a multi-modal human emotion dataset in driving tasks is an essential step in human emotion studies. we conducted three experiments to collect multimodal psychological, physiological and behavioural dataset for human emotions (PPB-Emo). In Experiment I, 27 participants were recruited, the in-depth interview method was employed to explore the driver’s viewpoints on driving scenarios that induce different emotions. For Experiment II, 409 participants were recruited, a questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain driving scenarios information that induces human drivers to produce specific emotions, and the results were used as the basis for selecting video-audio stimulus materials. In Experiment III, 40 participants were recruited, and the psychological data and physiological data, as well as their behavioural data were collected of all participants in 280 times driving tasks. The PPB-Emo dataset will largely support the analysis of human emotion in driving tasks. Moreover, The PPB-Emo dataset will also benefit human emotion research in other daily tasks.

10 versions available

A QE Study on Golf Putting

[목적] QE는 주요 움직임 직전에 나타나는 시선고정시간이다. QE는 숙련자가 운동기술을 사용할 때 나타나는 특징을 가지고 있다. 본 연구의 목적은 골프 퍼팅에서의 QE 원인을 규명하고 초보자에게 퍼팅 수행 향상을 위한 연습 방법을 제시하는 것이다. [방법] 연구대상자(n=30)는 통제, QE, 시각차단 집단으로 각각 10명씩 무선 배정하였고 집단 별 연습 방법에 따라 2 일간 골프 퍼팅 연습을 하였다. 24시간 후 골프 퍼팅에 대한 파지검사와 연구대상자간의 경쟁 시합을 하였고 집단과 기간에 따라 퍼팅 점수, QE, 스윙시간, 후두엽의 알파파워를 산출하여 비교 분석하였다. [결과] 첫째, 세 집단 모두 사전보다 파지, 경쟁에서 퍼팅 점수가 높아진 것으로 나타났다. 특히 QE집단은 통제집단보다 높은 퍼팅 점수를 보이며 통계적으로 유의한 차이가 나타났다. 그러나 시각차단 집단은 두 집단과의 차이가 나타나지 않았다. 둘째, QE집단은 사전보다 파지, 경쟁에서 QE가 통계적으로 길어지는 것으로 나타났다. 그리고 통제집단은 사전보다 경쟁에서 QE가 다소 길어지는 경향을 보였다. 그러나 시각차단 집단은 기간에 따라 QE의 변화가 나타나지 않았다. 셋째, 세 집단 모두 기간이 지남에 따라 스윙시간이 유의하게 길어졌다. 넷째, 후두엽의 알파파워는 집단과 기간에 따라 유의한 차이가 나타나지 않았다. [결론] 시각차단 집단은 자세가 안정적이게 변함에 불구하고 QE는 길어지지 않았으나, 눈을 뜨고 연습한 QE집단은 QE가 길어졌고 통제집단도 QE가 길어지는 경향을 보였다. 그러므로 QE는 자세 조절 보다 시각에 의한 인지적 처리로 해석 할 수 있다. 마지막으로 본 연구를 통해 골프 퍼팅 초보자에게 QE연습이 보다 효율적인 연습방법임을 증명하였다.

1 version available:

Adaptive Driving Assistant Model (ADAM) for advising drivers of autonomous vehicles

Fully autonomous driving is on the horizon; vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as Tesla's Autopilot are already available to consumers. However, all currently available ADAS applications require a human driver to be alert and ready to take control if needed. Partially automated driving introduces new complexities to human interactions with cars and can even increase collision risk. A better understanding of drivers’ trust in automation may help reduce these complexities. Much of the existing research on trust in ADAS has relied on use of surveys and physiological measures to assess trust and has been conducted using driving simulators. There have been relatively few studies that use telemetry data from real automated vehicles to assess trust in ADAS. In addition, although some ADAS technologies provide alerts when, for example, drivers’ hands are not on the steering wheel, these systems are not personalized to individual drivers. Needed are adaptive technologies that can help drivers of autonomous vehicles avoid crashes based on multiple real-time data streams. In this paper, we propose an architecture for adaptive autonomous driving assistance. Two layers of multiple sensory fusion models are developed to provide appropriate voice reminders to increase driving safety based on predicted driving status. Results suggest that human trust in automation can be quantified and predicted with 80% accuracy based on vehicle data, and that adaptive speech-based advice can be provided to drivers with 90 to 95% accuracy. With more data, these models can be used to evaluate trust in driving assistance tools, which can ultimately lead to safer and appropriate use of these features.

2 versions available

Publication Hub Archive

The Effect of Attention Cues Training on Saccadic Eye Movement and Learning Open Motor Skills in Novice: Quasi-Experimental Study

The impact of sound in people’s behaviour in outdoor settings: A study using virtual reality and eye-tracking

Training to support appropriate reliance on advanced driver assistance systems

Transitions from presence, belonging to engaged participation in an inclusive classroom: an eye-tracking study

Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Tunnel safety: A pilot study investigating drivers’ fixation characteristics when approaching tunnel entrance at different driving speeds

Vehicle Braking Performance and Saccadic Eye Movement with Different Illuminance Transmission Exposures in Digital Driving Simulation

A multimodal psychological, physiological and behavioural dataset for human emotions in driving tasks

A QE Study on Golf Putting

Adaptive Driving Assistant Model (ADAM) for advising drivers of autonomous vehicles