Impact of Device Reliability and Route Exposure on Navigational Performance

Abstract: Some researchers now suggest that the relationship between signal reliability and behavior may not be mediated by trust in all circumstances. Driving is an ideal task domain for investigating the reliability-trust relationship because drivers increasingly rely on automated navigational systems for guidance. The primary goal of this investigation was to evaluate participant performance in a simulated navigational task while using a navigational aid with a specified level of reliability (75% or 95%). We predicted that drivers would choose to comply with an aid more often when the expected reliability was high than when it was low. Participants were provided cursory exposure to a target route to provide route familiarity. Performance measures included speed, duration, distance, time stopped, time moving, time out, and task success. We found no significant effect of reliability on any of the driving performance measures; however, performance significantly improved for repeated task presentation. We contend that route exposure and navigational aid experience influenced driver performance more than the stated aid reliability. These results yield further information about the limitations of evaluating automation trust using behavioral measures.

Keywords: Reliability, Navigation, Trust, Driving, Automation

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100215

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