Abstract
Foreign object encroachment is the presence of persons or items in the contact network and railroad track area, which can result in accidents, electrical failures, and train damage on the railroad. By keeping an eye on the lookout, seeing the intrusion of a foreign object, and braking quickly, train drivers can lessen the risks brought on by foreign object invasion. The question of how to maintain and monitor the continuous attention level of train drivers has been a hot issue, because of the monotonous environment of railroad operating makes the alertness decline during threat perception. Based on the theory of situational awareness, this study posits that training drivers in foreign object encroachment experience schemas can enhance their sustained attention levels, leading to improved hazard perception sensitivity. The hypothesis is subsequently verified in different route types and road types. We utilized a set of 24 videos depicting railroad traffic scenarios, generated by a driving simulator, to examine the sustained attention levels and hazard perception capabilities of train drivers. The participants in our study were divided into two groups: one group consisted of train drivers with recent experience of foreign object intrusion (n = 37), and the other group comprised train drivers without such recent experience (n = 35). The study's findings suggest that schemas have an impact on hazard sensitivity by influencing the extent of sustained attention. This effect is further moderated by the pseudoneglect effect and prioritization of task goals. The results provide confirmation that the situational awareness theory holds valuable insights for enhancing the training of train drivers in hazard perception and sustaining attention. And it also addresses a previously existing gap in the literature regarding the factors affecting train drivers' hazard perception. These findings can be instrumental in shaping training programs aimed at safety awareness, as well as the design and implementation of alertness monitoring systems for train drivers.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number 52072320), the Key Project of China Shuohuang Railway (Grant number GJNY-22–84), and Science and Technology Program of Sichuan Province with 2022YFG0087).
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Jinfei Ma wrote the paper, designed the experiment and selected the topic, Yusong Wang wrote the paper and analyzed the data, Maunsheng Xia designed and processed the experimental materials, Zizheng Guo selected the topic and designed the experiment, and Zhe Li, Jun Zhang and Jun Zhang all participated in the data collection
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Ma, J., Wang, Y., Xia, M. et al. The influence of train driver's foreign body penetration experience on hazard perception sensitivity: the mediating role of sustained attention. Cogn Tech Work 26, 153–168 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-023-00744-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-023-00744-4