Games+Learning+Society 12 Conference

Drivers often have poor conceptual understanding of new driver safety systems, such as adaptive cruise control (ACC). Older drivers tend to be more willing to learn about these systems by reading manuals, but also struggle with learning the uses and limitations these safety systems. This study investigates the effect of different materials and modes of learning - tinkering with games, solving problem scenarios and reading direct instruction - on mental models of ACC and driving performance in a driving simulator. We designed written assessments to supplement the driving measures produced in the simulator in order to understand how different forms of instruction impact the ways older and younger drivers learn about ACC systems.