Cognitive activity modelling: a case study of lane change schemas and sensation seeking

We propose a method to investigate differences of driving at a tactical level, between different categories of drivers. We analysed the naturalistic driving performance of 19 French drivers using an instrumented vehicle. We assessed their sensation seeking scores with the Zuckerman questionnaire. We observed a significant correlation between their sensation seeking score and their mean speed on motorway. We set up a method to model their tactical behaviour and investigate possible correlation between their sensation seeking score and their tendency to perform certain types of behaviour. We applied it to the study of lane changes on motorways. We could model two categories of lane changes but we show that they were not correlated with the sensation seeking score. Despite this negative first result, we are proposing an innovative approach for this kind of study.