University of Twente Student Theses

The adoption of fully autonomous vehicles : investigating the effect of seating orientation on trust and motion sickness by mediating vehicle transparency

Waldmann, Alina (2024) The adoption of fully autonomous vehicles : investigating the effect of seating orientation on trust and motion sickness by mediating vehicle transparency.

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Embargo date:	1 March 2026
Abstract:	Recent advancements in vehicle autonomy have enabled passengers to engage in non-driving-related tasks (NDRT) while traveling. Social interactions as NDRT have been rated as most preferred, leading to a redesign of the autonomous vehicle's (AV) interior. This study explores the impact of seating orientation—specifically rearward-facing versus forward-facing—on trust, motion sickness, and the behavioral intention to use AVs, based on a modified version of the Autonomous Driving Acceptance Model (ADAM; Rottmann, 2023). The role of vehicle transparency, divided into intention transparency and perception transparency, was considered as a mediating factor between the aforementioned variables and manipulated using displays between the seats. Additionally, the effects of trust and motion sickness on behavioral intention were individually tested. Participants experienced six vehicle journeys, with three in each seating orientation, and were presented with three different vehicle transparency displays per seating orientation (intention transparency on; live feed; off), which were mounted between the seats. Perception transparency was measured as a between-group variable. To simulate the experience of being a passenger in a fully AV, a steering and pedal robot was installed in the driver’s seat. During each 6-minute vehicle journey, participants encountered four safety-challenging scenarios, which were designed based on literature and accident reports. Results indicate a significant negative effect of rearward-facing seating on trust, intention transparency, and behavioral intention, while motion sickness levels increased. Display manipulations did not show significant differences between conditions, so no causal conclusions about the effect of vehicle transparency could be drawn. Trust, when measured during the vehicle journey, emerged as a strong predictor of behavioral intention to use an AV, suggesting the importance of trust in AV acceptance. Although trends regarding the effect of vehicle transparency were observed, further investigation is needed to establish causality. Overall, the ADAM appears to be a good predictive model, but further analysis is needed, including all variables of the ADAM.
Item Type:	Essay (Master)
Faculty:	BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:	77 psychology
Programme:	Psychology MSc (66604)
Link to this item:	https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/98828
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