Dys_SIGN

Driving a vehicle is a complex activity that places great demands on the human visual and attentional system. Along with other basic operations, the quick and accurate acquisition of text information and pictograms on traffic signs can be a critical factor for safety. However, there are relevant individual differences (e.g., having difficulty reading) and many environmental situations (e.g., driving in fog or in a complex visual scene) that can impair or delay proper understanding of traffic messages.

The current project will provide new evidence to analyse factors influencing drivers' performance when reading traffic signs while driving:

• First, we will study the difficulties of drivers with dyslexia in acquiring information on traffic signs. Compared to previous studies, in the current project, we will study the difficulties of these drivers in new reading situations (e.g., urban environment), we will manipulate the attention demands of drivers in a more systematic way (e.g., simple and complex scenarios) and we will obtain physiological measures of cognitive effort (e.g., indicators based on heart rate) to understand the role of attention in the difficulties of adult drivers with dyslexia. The results obtained could contribute to the discussion on whether the difficulties of these drivers are specific to reading or generalize to other aspects of driving, as has been suggested in recent research on dyslexia (e.g., sampling theory temporary).
• Second, we will explore new potential countermeasures to help drivers with and without dyslexia improve their reading performance while driving. In particular, we will analyse the use of pictographic information combined with text, we will review the impact on dyslexia of upper and lower case letters and we will study which factors are more resistant to the effect of visual degradation of traffic signs.

In short, this project will help to better understand the phenomenon of dyslexia and its difficulties in driving. In addition, the results will also provide practical applications to improve the design of road signs, which could benefit not only people with impaired reading, but also any driver in less than optimal perceptual or attentional conditions.

Attention, Reading, Driving, Traffic signs, Dyslexia, Cognitive ergonomics, Heart rate, Cognitive effort

Paula Piris Todos Santos

Contact: atenlec@uv.es

This web is part of the R+D+i project PID2019-106562GB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.

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