To Trust or Not to Trust? A Simulation-based Experimental Paradigm

The automated driving system is expected to enhance traffic safety and flow; however, the system will not be as effective if users do not accept it or do not utilize it appropriately. Appropriate acceptance and use of technology depends on attributes such as perceived risk, mental workload, self-confidence, and appropriate level of trust that matches system performance. An inappropriate level of trust in the technology, whether it is over-trust or undertrust, would negatively affect the benefits of that technology. Based on the literature, trust is a dynamic construct that consists of an initial or dispositional trust that is shaped before experiencing the system performance and a history-based trust that constantly changes with user experience of the system. This study first reviews the history of research on humans’ trust in automation and the factors that are correlated with trust. It also provides a brief overview of some previous models of trust in automation. Then, based on the gaps in the literature, a simulator-based experiment is proposed to further study the factors affecting initial or dispositioned trust and history-based trust. The results of this study are expected to help better understand drivers’ trust in automated vehicles and help enhance human-automation interaction models.