Technical
Sciences. Traffic
Stepanov Oleksiy
PhD in Technical Sciences, associate professor in
Factor of human visual perception
in the motor vehicle safety system
The specific feature of researches of the motor
vehicle safety system is combination of solving technical problems (active and
passive safety) with the study of psychophysiology of perception of the road
traffic by the road users [5]. This approach allows obtaining the data that, as
main provisions, adequately reflect the process of visual perception as a human
factor of road users in the motor vehicle safety system [1]. The perception is
a unity of sense and logic, sense and meaning, feeling and thinking. By means
of visual perception, a person does not only see, but also hears and listens. The
process of perception, which may be difficult to some extent, is the solution
to a specific task. For example, visual perception allows driver to obtain
objective information about the external environment and gives the principal
opportunity for decision-making depending on the road situation and the
behavior of other road users. The main questions about the process of visual
perception by the driver are substantially related to the problems of invariant
selection and recognition of objects located on a background of other objects,
partially overlapping each other. Solving these problems is greatly important
for processing of information by a driver in order to maintain safety of his
(her) motor vehicle and traffic in general.
Study of psychophysiological
mechanisms of the process of visual perception of a human as a road user is one
of the main conditions of ensuring road safety. Without the study of human
psychology and physiology, such factors as ambiguity of time of reaction for
the same signal or changes in time of reaction of a driver or reduction of time
of reaction in cases of lassitude compared to the period of optimal performance
cannot be explained.
The scientists’ researches [1-3, 7] specify that
information processing is not only passive reflection of statistical
characteristics of a signal, but also active search for a solution, especially
in real situations. As an example, we may examine the consistent perception of
information stretched in time. In this way, a person learns the world. When we
look at the picture, we see it in whole, and it appears immediately before us
in its completeness.
The possibility of obtaining quantitative estimates of
transmission and reception of information allowed W. Hick to obtain linear
connection between the time of reaction and information capacity of the signal,
considering the formula of C. Shannon for estimating the amount of
information. This connection, later called “Hick’s law”, was repeatedly
confirmed by experiments with simple stimuli, and the model of formation of the
reaction time was called “information model” [5].
At perception of moving road objects, the driver can
identify these objects as those belonging to one or another class depending on
the original points of regard of the driver. While driving, the driver abruptly
switches to different versions of an ambiguous object, depending on the
fragment from which he or she starts the recognition and, therefore, depending
on the perceptual way used by him or her to interpret all other elements [7]. It
can be believed that the effect of inversion in perception of “reversible”
figures may be explained in the same way. A particular version of vision of the
test image by the driver is the result of the “perceptual image” first involved
in identification [4, 6, 8, 9].
Analyzing the literature sources [2, 3, 4, 6], we can
conclude that there are two different ways in which the macro (psychological)
and the micro (neural) levels of the process of human visual perception are
studied. Thus, despite a complete process image, which includes the data of
both levels, there is a gap between the data received on the level of functioning
of individual neurons and the data obtained in the study of characteristics of
perception as a single process [7].
Analysis of the obtained results allows distinguishing
the types of errors at the stage connected with the mechanisms of recognition
of the object based on its parts. The effect of partial recognition of all the figure
elements by the driver, when he identifies only some of them (always
identifying different elements at repeated presentations), is essential. This
phenomenon of visual perception can be considered as presentation of the
mechanism of deficiency of attention of the driver.
The analysis of errors of perception of the road
network by the driver allows identification of deviations of
psycho-physiological characteristics of individual mini-stages of process of
visual perception during driver’s training (or proficiency check) [1, 2, 6].
Errors connected with perception fragmentation at recognition of subjects may
occur in case of existence of lesions (injuries) in temporal brain area and
near it; errors in recognition of spatial situations – in case of existence of lesions
in parietal areas. Lesions of symmetrical regions of subdominant brain
hemisphere cause impairments of other parts of imaging, such as ability to complete
visual perception, ability to recognize specific familiar objects [8, 9]. These
features of factor of visual perception and identification of the road
environment by road users shall be considered in the motor vehicles and traffic
safety system.
References:
1. Бондарко
В. М. К вопросу о восприятии целостности зрительных объектов / Бондарко В. М., Шелепин Ю. Л. // Сенсорные системы. ― 1996, Т. 10,
№ 1. ― С. 25–30.
2. Глезер
В. Д. Зрительное опознание и его нейрофизиологические механизмы / В. Д. Глезер.
― Л.: Наука, 1975.
3. Капран В. И. Фрагментация стабилизированного образа как
средство изучения микрогенеза восприятия /
В. И. Капран // Исследование функциональной
структуры исполнительной деятельности. Труды ВНИИТЭ.
Эргономика. ― 1980, № 19. ― С. 122–133.
4. Кроль В. М.
Зрительное узнавание как управляемый поиск сложных фрагментов / В. М. Кроль //
Сенсорные системы. ― 1995, № 1. ― С. 58–67.
5. Лобанов Е.М. Проектирование дорог и организация движения с учетом психофизиологии водителя / Е. М. Лобанов. ― М.: Транспорт, 1980. ― 311 с.
6. Невская
А. А. Временные характеристики опознания предметных изображений при фильтрации
высоких пространственных частот / А. А. Невская // Физиология
человека. ― 1987, Т. 13, № 5.
― С. 757–766.
7. Goolkaasian P.
The effect of size on the perception of ambiguous figures // Bull. Psychonom. Soc. ― 1991. ― V. 29, N 2. ―
P. 161 ― 164.
8. Jordan T. R. Superiority over single letters and influence of postmark
boundaries // J. Exp. Psychol.: Hum. Percept. and Perform. ― 1990. ―
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4. ― P. 893–909.
9. Snak M.
D., Walker J. T. Figureground organization of real
and subjective contours: A new ambiguous figures, some novel measures of
ambiguity and apparent distance across regions of figure and ground // Percept.
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N 2. ― P. 127–138.