Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme

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AKSOE: Arbeitskreis Physik sozio-ökonomischer Systeme

AKSOE 16: Traffic Dynamics, Urban, and Regional Systems

AKSOE 16.2: Talk

Friday, March 30, 2007, 10:00–10:30, H8

Brain activity during simulated driving and three-phase traffic theory — •André Bresges — Universität Duisburg-Essen, Didaktik der Physik, 47048 Duisburg.

We have volunteers participiating in our simulated car traffic environment, driving in situations with different complexities. While learning to drive, we monitor their brain activity with a 1,5 Tesla Siemens Avanto functional Magnet Resonance Imager. Results show, that with increased routine the control of the car is transferred to lower and - in evolutionary perspective - "older" parts of the brain, namely the cerebrellum. This makes the behavior of car drivers more uniform, less error-prone and more predictable, compared to the complex behavior humans usually show when using higher brain areas. The neurologic evidence may serve as a foundation for microscopic or multi-agent-approaches in the field of dynamic car traffic simulation.

Possible implications regarding three-phase traffic theory (B. Kerner et al.) will be demonstrated using a freeway traffic simulator running on a modified two-Lane Lee-Algorithm (H.K. Lee et al., 2004).