The effect of cognitive load on adaptation to differences in steering wheel force feedback level

In an earlier study it was found that drivers can adjust quickly to different force feedback levels on the steering wheel, even for such extreme levels as zero feedback. It was hypothesized that, due to lack of cognitive load, participants could easily and quickly learn how to deal with extreme force feedback settings by giving more effort. The study presented in this paper tested this hypothesis by increasing cognitive load by means of an N-back secondary task with the experimental conditions used in the earlier study. The secondary task was performed simultaneously while driving a simulated vehicle with six different force feedback levels provided on the steering wheel. Driving performance was measured using standard metrics such as standard deviation of lateral position, standard deviation of steering wheel angle, steering wheel reversal rate and mean driving speed. It was found that addition of the secondary task affected driving performance for the six different force feedback levels to an equal extent and did not differentially affect performance for the extreme levels of force feedback. Thus, the results do not provide support for the proposed hypothesis