Name: Sidney Scott-Sharoni 

Master’s Thesis Proposal Meeting
Date: Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022
Time: 03:00 PM
Location: Microsoft Teams  click here

 
Advisor:
Bruce Walker, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)
 
Thesis Committee Members: 
Bruce Walker, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech) 

Jamie Gorman, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Richard Catrambone, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech) 

Title: Directability Through AI Customization: The Effect of Choice on Trust and Acceptance in Highly Automated Vehicles

Abstract: Self-driving cars have the potential to revolutionize mobility and transportation. However, research indicates people feel apprehensive about using or relying on highly automated vehicles (American Automotive Association, 2019). One method of assuaging fears involves providing explanations for the system’s behaviors using a Human-Machine Interface (HMI).  However, understanding the amount of information to display to generate optimal human-automation interaction can prove difficult due to differences in individuals’ preferences, experiences, and needs. An underexplored method that may account for these discrepancies involves providing users with choices or customization. The Coactive Design approach suggests that including directability, or the power to influence a system’s actions, may improve how users interact with a system (Johnson et al., 2014). The following study will investigate how customization affordances for either the behavior or the explainability of an automated vehicle affects trust and acceptance in the AI. One hundred-twenty participants will experience one highly automated simulator drive, during which they will engage in a visually demanding side activity and have their gaze behavior recorded as a measure of trust. Trust and acceptance will also be reported using subjective measures, specifically the Trust in Automation Questionnaire (Jian et al., 2000) and the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989). A MANCOVA will assess the interaction of and main effects of customization availability and customization type on trust and acceptance. Investigating the role of choice in the interaction between individuals and highly automated systems can provide insight into the psychological impacts of having control over technology and how that influences users to interact with it most effectively.