Effects of Native and Secondary Language Processing on Emotional Drivers' Situation Awareness, Driving Performance, and Subjective Perception

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Research shows that emotions have a substantial influence on the cognitive processes of humans and in the context of driving, can negatively influence driving performance. Drivers' interaction with in-vehicle agents can improve their emotional state and can lead to increased road safety. Language is another important aspect that influences human behavior and information processing. This study aims to explore the effects of native and secondary-language processing on emotional drivers' situation awareness, driving performance, and subjective perception by conducting a within-subject simulation study. Twenty-four young drivers drove three different laps with a native-language speaking agent, secondary-language speaking agent, and no agent. The study results are indicative of the importance of native-language processing in the context of driving. Native-language agent condition resulted in improved driving performance and heightened situation awareness. The study results and discussions have theoretical and practical design implications and are expected to help foster future work in this domain.