The present paper deals with relationship between changes in the level of arousal and those in the level of several electrophysiological quantities in motorcar driving. In experiments, five subjects experienced motorcar driving on a test circuit with other cars excluded. Each experimental session included about 30-minute-driving. Electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), electrooculogram (EOG) and skin potential level (SPL) were recorded and their correlation to the level of arousal was studied. Results of the experiments show that (1) close correlation was observed between SPL and the level of arousal, (2) EEG alpha power was almost at a constant level during motorcar driving, (3) blinking frequency was weakly correlated to the level of arousal, and (4) as for heart rate, no correlation was found with arousal change. From these results, we conclude that SPL is the most effective index of the arousal level in motorcar driving. Furthermore, the results suggest a possibility of doze detection in motorcar driving by using SPL as an index of the arousal level.
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