The Tactile Detection Response Task: Preliminary Validation for Measuring the Attentional Effects of Cognitive Load

Traffic crashes due to secondary task performance while driving can potentially be reduced with improved measures of the attentional effects of cognitive load. This study seeks to validate the Tactile Detection Response Task (TDRT), a newly proposed measure, for assessing the attentional effects of cognitive load. Validity is tested using two task types, one that causes cognitive load (sensitivity test) and one that causes visual load (specificity test). The results of the study validate both the sensitivity and specificity of the TDRT, with sensitivity shown for a hard vs. easy cognitive task and specificity shown by a lack of sensitivity to a visual load increase for a hard vs. easy visual-manual task. Keywords: Driver distraction;