PhD project: Determinants and measurement of presence during advanced driver assistance systems simulator testing

Objective
The aim of the PhD project is to define a theoretical framework and to identify the factors influencing the subjective sensation of presence in a virtual environment. It should result in the validation of a method to achieve the driver's presence in a driving simulator, in order to reach qualitatively high levels of representativity (of the real driving situation) behaviors in simulation conditions. The focus will be directed toward the concept of presence, which can be defined as the cognitive and psychological realism, or the “credibility/plausibility" of the situation.



Background

Virtual and mixed reality is more and more used to design experimental scenarios, aiming at evaluating cognitive and sensorimotor aspects of human-environment interactions.

For car makers, the driving simulator, dynamic or static, is a major tool to design and evaluate Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Human-Machine Interactions (HMI).

Many Human Factors studies emphasize important issues related to the validity of behaviors observed in virtual environments, considering the absence of objective and physical risk.

In that respect, the subjective sensation of presence appears as a promising concept, as it depends both on the capacity of the driving simulator to reproduce the psycho-physical realism of a driving task (at the sensory and perceptive levels) and on the psychological state of the driver (motivations and intentions), which influences behavior.

Indeed, the absence of objective risk and the technical limitations of the virtual environment (even if it is highly realistic) influence this psychological state, and consequently the degree of presence.

The aim of the PhD thesis is to define and validate ways to increase the level of presence, notably by manipulating the experimental protocol (context and scenario) and by taking into account the subjects' characteristics (personality traits).





DURATION

36 months, starting date between October 1, 2011 and January 1, 2012



FUNDING

French public funding ANRT, PSA



REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS

- Master's degree in cognitive sciences (cognitive psychology, cognitive ergonomics,)

- Good notions of human cognition - perception/action modeling- and metacognition

- Interest in human cognition, HMI, virtual reality, driving and cars (transports)

- Methods and tools in general and particularly experimental psychology methodology (quantitative and qualitative methods).

- No motion sickness



Contact

Daniel MESTRE

Institut des Sciences du Mouvement - UMR 6233

163 avenue de Luminy, CP 910, 13288 Marseille cedex 09.
daniel.mestre@univmed.fr .

Tél : +33 (0)4 91 17 04 38