The integration of top-down and bottom-up factors in visual search during driving

Abstract This chapter considers the interplay of bottom-up and top-down factors in deciding where the eyes should move next during various driving tasks. Although there is concern that bottom-up influences can distract as well as attract attention, it appears that top-down factors can inhibit or override these low level factors. Top-down strategies must, however, be developed over time, through practice and the accretion of experience. This has lead to the suggestion that accident rates in less experienced drivers could be reduced by training them to emulate the eye-movement patterns of more experienced drivers. Although several researchers have attempted this, any successful and transferable training intervention must take into account the subtle interplay of top-down and bottom-up factors in understanding why one looks to a particular scene while driving.