Operationalizing Dyadic Urban Traffic Interaction Studies: From Theory to Practice

Realistically modeling interactions between road users—like those between drivers or between drivers and pedestrians—within experimental settings come with pragmatic challenges. Due to practical constraints, research typically focuses on a limited subset of potential scenarios, raising questions abo...

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Main Authors: Debargha Dey, Azra Habibovic, Wendy Ju
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3738
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author Debargha Dey
Azra Habibovic
Wendy Ju
author_facet Debargha Dey
Azra Habibovic
Wendy Ju
author_sort Debargha Dey
collection DOAJ
description Realistically modeling interactions between road users—like those between drivers or between drivers and pedestrians—within experimental settings come with pragmatic challenges. Due to practical constraints, research typically focuses on a limited subset of potential scenarios, raising questions about the scalability and generalizability of findings about interactions to untested scenarios. Here, we aim to tackle this by laying the methodological groundwork for defining representative scenarios for dyadic (two-actor) interactions that can be analyzed individually. This paper introduces a conceptual guide for operationalizing controlled dyadic traffic interaction studies, developed through extensive interdisciplinary brainstorming to bridge theoretical models and practical experimental design. It elucidates critical trade-offs in scenario selection, interaction approaches, measurement strategies, and timing coordination, thereby enhancing reproducibility and clarity for future traffic interaction research and streamlining the design process. The methodologies and insights we provide aim to enhance the accessibility and quality of traffic interaction research, offering a guide that aids researchers in setting up studies and ensures clarity and reproducibility in reporting, bridging the gap between theoretical traffic interaction models and practical applications in controlled experiments, thereby contributing to advancements in human factors research on traffic management and safety.
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spelling doaj-art-d9468afc42c14cbe807cb1d85a35ec342025-08-20T03:08:44ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-03-01157373810.3390/app15073738Operationalizing Dyadic Urban Traffic Interaction Studies: From Theory to PracticeDebargha Dey0Azra Habibovic1Wendy Ju2Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AP Eindhoven, The NetherlandsSCANIA CV AB, 417 56 Göteborg, SwedenDepartment of Information Science, Cornell Tech, New York, NY 10044, USARealistically modeling interactions between road users—like those between drivers or between drivers and pedestrians—within experimental settings come with pragmatic challenges. Due to practical constraints, research typically focuses on a limited subset of potential scenarios, raising questions about the scalability and generalizability of findings about interactions to untested scenarios. Here, we aim to tackle this by laying the methodological groundwork for defining representative scenarios for dyadic (two-actor) interactions that can be analyzed individually. This paper introduces a conceptual guide for operationalizing controlled dyadic traffic interaction studies, developed through extensive interdisciplinary brainstorming to bridge theoretical models and practical experimental design. It elucidates critical trade-offs in scenario selection, interaction approaches, measurement strategies, and timing coordination, thereby enhancing reproducibility and clarity for future traffic interaction research and streamlining the design process. The methodologies and insights we provide aim to enhance the accessibility and quality of traffic interaction research, offering a guide that aids researchers in setting up studies and ensures clarity and reproducibility in reporting, bridging the gap between theoretical traffic interaction models and practical applications in controlled experiments, thereby contributing to advancements in human factors research on traffic management and safety.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3738driver-driver interactiondriver-pedestrian interactionautonomous vehicleautomated vehicleAVvulnerable road user
spellingShingle Debargha Dey
Azra Habibovic
Wendy Ju
Operationalizing Dyadic Urban Traffic Interaction Studies: From Theory to Practice
Applied Sciences
driver-driver interaction
driver-pedestrian interaction
autonomous vehicle
automated vehicle
AV
vulnerable road user
title Operationalizing Dyadic Urban Traffic Interaction Studies: From Theory to Practice
title_full Operationalizing Dyadic Urban Traffic Interaction Studies: From Theory to Practice
title_fullStr Operationalizing Dyadic Urban Traffic Interaction Studies: From Theory to Practice
title_full_unstemmed Operationalizing Dyadic Urban Traffic Interaction Studies: From Theory to Practice
title_short Operationalizing Dyadic Urban Traffic Interaction Studies: From Theory to Practice
title_sort operationalizing dyadic urban traffic interaction studies from theory to practice
topic driver-driver interaction
driver-pedestrian interaction
autonomous vehicle
automated vehicle
AV
vulnerable road user
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3738
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