Throughout our daily interactions we rely on cues provided by body language and facial expressions to navigate social interactions. Similarly, drivers evaluate the intent of pedestrians crossing the r..
Throughout our daily interactions we rely on cues provided by body language and facial expressions to navigate social interactions. Similarly, drivers evaluate the intent of pedestrians crossing the road using cues such as body position (facing toward or away from the road), actions (walking or standing), and eye contact. There is little research on how these cues influence interactions between pedestrians and drivers at intersections. For this study, participants viewed videos of driving scenes recorded from the driver’s perspective. Some of the scenes included pedestrians and others did not. Participants were asked to imagine they were driving a car and to evaluate whether it was safe to proceed through the intersection (i.e., safe or unsafe). In cases where pedestrians were present near the intersection, participants were asked to rate how confident they were that the pedestrian was aware of the car. To better understand how drivers evaluate pedestrians, Tobii Pro 2 eye tracking glasses were used to monitor eye movements while participants viewed the driving videos. Results will show how participants' judgments of “safe or unsafe” to proceed are related to a pedestrian’s body position (facing toward or away from the road), actions (walking or standing), and eye contact.