Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Dec;19(4):287-300.
doi: 10.1037/a0034386. Epub 2013 Sep 16.

Active and passive fatigue in simulated driving: discriminating styles of workload regulation and their safety impacts

Dyani J Saxby  1 , Gerald Matthews  2 , Joel S Warm  3 , Edward M Hitchcock  4 , Catherine Neubauer  1
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Active and passive fatigue in simulated driving: discriminating styles of workload regulation and their safety impacts

Dyani J Saxby et al. J Exp Psychol Appl. 2013 Dec.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Despite the known dangers of driver fatigue, it is a difficult construct to study empirically. Different forms of task-induced fatigue may differ in their effects on driver performance and safety. Desmond and Hancock (2001) defined active and passive fatigue states that reflect different styles of workload regulation. In 2 driving simulator studies we investigated the multidimensional subjective states and safety outcomes associated with active and passive fatigue. Wind gusts were used to induce active fatigue, and full vehicle automation to induce passive fatigue. Drive duration was independently manipulated to track the development of fatigue states over time. Participants were undergraduate students. Study 1 (N = 108) focused on subjective response and associated cognitive stress processes, while Study 2 (N = 168) tested fatigue effects on vehicle control and alertness. In both studies the 2 fatigue manipulations produced different patterns of subjective response reflecting different styles of workload regulation, appraisal, and coping. Active fatigue was associated with distress, overload, and heightened coping efforts, whereas passive fatigue corresponded to large-magnitude declines in task engagement, cognitive underload, and reduced challenge appraisal. Study 2 showed that only passive fatigue reduced alertness, operationalized as speed of braking and steering responses to an emergency event. Passive fatigue also increased crash probability, but did not affect a measure of vehicle control. Findings support theories that see fatigue as an outcome of strategies for managing workload. The distinction between active and passive fatigue is important for assessment of fatigue and for evaluating automated driving systems which may induce dangerous levels of passive fatigue.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Workload (upper panel), task engagement (middle panel), and challenge appraisal (lower panel) by duration and fatigue condition (Study 1). Error bars in all figures are standard errors.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Standardized change scores for subjective state factors by fatigue condition (Study 1).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Appraisal and coping scales by condition (Study 1). (Uncontrol. = Uncontrollability)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Uncontrollability and emotion-focus coping over time (Study 1).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Standardized change scores for subjective state factors by fatigue condition (Study 2).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Task engagement by duration and fatigue condition (Study 2).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Appraisal and coping scales by fatigue condition (Study 2). (Uncontrol. = Uncontrollability)
Figure 8
Figure 8
Precritical event SDLP for five 30 s intervals, by fatigue condition (Study 2).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Response times for braking and steering by fatigue condition (Study 2).
Figure 10
Figure 10
Number of participants able to avoid collision by fatigue condition and duration (Study 2).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Ackerman PL. 100 years without resting. In: Ackerman PL, editor. Cognitive fatigue: The current status and future for research and application. American Psychological Association; Washington, DC: 2011. pp. 11–43.
    1. Becic E, Dell GS, Bock K, Garnsey SM, Kubose T, Kramer A. Driving impairs talking. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 2010;17:15–21. doi: 10.3758/PBR.17.1.15. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Belz SM, Robinson GS, Casali JG. Temporal separation and self-rating of alertness as indicators of driver fatigue in commercial motor vehicle operators. Human Factors. 2004;46:154–169. doi: 10.1518/hfes.46.1.154.30393. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brookhuis KA, De Waard DD, Fairclough SH. Criteria for driver impairment. Ergonomics. 2003;46:433–445. doi: 10.1080/001401302/1000039556. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brown I. Coping with driver fatigue: Is the long journey nearly over? In: Hancock PA, Desmond PA, editors. Stress, workload, and fatigue. Erlbaum; Mahwah, NJ: 2001. pp. 596–606.