Influence of Social Appearance Attributes of Cyber Driving Support Agents on the Passenger Effect

Abstract

The “passenger effect,” where a passenger’s presence influences a driver’s behavior, has been observed with human passengers and cyber driving support agents. However, it remains unclear exactly how the passenger effect manifests in relation to passengers’ social appearance attributes, such as age and gender. This study aimed to investigate the influence of an agent’s social appearance attributes on the passenger effect. The experiment was conducted in a virtual driving environment with six types of agents with varying social appearance attributes, such as age and gender. We collected the impression ratings of the agent and passenger ratings as evaluation metrics, and electrocardiogram data were acquired as physiological response indicators. From the electrocardiogram data, we calculated the heart rate, heart rate variability index (RMSSD; root mean square of successive differences), high-frequency components (HF), and the ratio of low-frequency to high-frequency components. The results showed a positive correlation between the driver’s sense of responsibility toward the agent and the frequency of contact with the agent, indicating that a higher frequency of contact leads to a greater sense of responsibility. This is because a stronger awareness of the agent’s presence enhances the sense of responsibility. Furthermore, as a positive correlation was observed between the sense of responsibility and both RMSSD and HF, an increase in the sense of responsibility is anticipated to lead to greater psychological stability. This is thought to be because agents that foster a sense of responsibility enhance the driver’s self-esteem, thereby reducing stress. Thus, it can be inferred that recognizing the presence of an agent leads to psychological stability.

Keywords: Passenger Effect, Cyber Driving Support Agents, Influence Of Social Appearance Attributes

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007337