Human Factors/Applied Cognition: Driver attention, emotion, and behavior; diagnostic driving; experiential learning; incentives and behavior change
Dr. Lee joined George Mason University in the Fall of 2016. She has been an active researcher in the Transportation domain of Human Factors. Her primary research interests are: 1) driver behavior, attention, and emotion regulation, 2) diagnostic driving as used in detecting unsafe behaviors, 3) experiential learning targeting teen and novice drivers, and 4) incentives and behavior change mechanisms.
Her background is Industrial Engineering (PhD) and Experimental Psychology (MS). She has 10+ years of professional experience conducting empirical scientific research in human factors transportation. Her research focuses on the theoretical advancement and practical understanding of real-world behavioral issues in the context of human-technology interactions. Her current research interests are centered on understanding and improving driver behavior and driver's cognitive and emotional state, using qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques as well as driving simulators and on-road instrumented vehicles (including eye-tracking and other physiological measurements).
Dr. Lee’s most significant contribution is in the development of research methodology, including integration between applied and basic research, innovative experimental design, applying theories and principles from other research domains, and adaptive analytical methods. She has served as the PI and co-PI on multiple federal grants, including one current NSF award focusing on monitoring and detecting unsafe driving behaviors among young ADHD drivers.
Prior to joining GMU, Dr. Lee directed the driving simulator research group at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and successfully managed multi-institution research projects.
Lee, Y.-C., & Mirman, J. H. (2018). Parents’ perspectives on using autonomous vehicles to enhance children’s mobility. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 96: 415-431.
Lee, Y.-C., & LaVoie, N. (2018). Instruction-prompted objective behaviors as proxy for subjective measures in a driving simulator. Transportation Research Part F: Psychology and Behaviour, 55, 58-66.
LaVoie, N., Lee, Y.-C., Allison, A., & Parker, J. (2018). A new approach for assessing and training drivers’ speed management. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 111, 266-270.
Mirman, J. H., Durbin, D.R., Lee, Y.-C., & Seifert, S. (2017). Adolescent and adult drivers' mobile phone use while driving with different interlocutors. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 104, 18-23.
Lee, Y.-C., & Winston, F. K. (2016). Stress induction techniques in a driving simulator and reactions from newly licensed drivers. Transportation Research Part F, 42, 44-55.
LaVoie, N., Lee, Y.-C., & Parker, J. (2016). Preliminary research developing a theory of cell phone distraction and social relationships. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 86, 155-160.
Ontañón, S., Lee, Y.-C., Snodgrass, S., Bonfiglio, D. J., Winston, F. K., McDonald, C. C., & Gonzalez, A. J. (2014). Case-Based prediction of teen driver behavior and skill. Case-Based Reasoning Research and Development, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, 8765, 375-489.
Lee, Y.-C., Lee, J. D., & Boyle, L. N. (2009). The interaction of cognitive load and attention-directing cues in driving. Human Factors, 51, 271-280.
Lee, Y.-C., Lee, J. D., & Boyle, L. N. (2007). Visual attention in driving: the effects of cognitive load and visual disruption. Human Factors, 49, 721-733.
2018: Turning ambiguous traffic scenarios into autonomous vehicle’s intelligence, GMU OSCAR Summer Impact Grant
2017 - 2018: Interpretable temporal mining for contrastive driving behaviors, GMU Office of Research
2017 - 2018: GEST DC Study: Gestational exposure to traffic pollution in the DC metro area, GMU Office of Research
2015 - 2019: SCH:INT:Collaborative Research: Diagnostic Driving: Real Time Driver Condition Detection Through Analysis of Driving Behavior, National Science Foundation
PhD in Industrial Engineering (Human Factors concentration) at University of Iowa, 2006