Inside our heads: an investigation into visual analysis and detection using the EEG

A research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA by coursework and Research Report in the field of Organisational Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgThe aim of this research is to examine the neurological processes involved in visual analysis tasks in terms of networks within the brain. It aims to examine these processes while considering the antecedents of visual analysis skills; specifically concentration spans, properties of the target, and signal detection characteristics such as the hit rate and reaction time. It posited that detection is positively associated with neural activity. A Pseudo quasi-experimental, cross sectional, within subject’s design that utilises a quantitative method of investigation was undertaken in order to determine whether this postulation held any merit. The study involved the participation of 8 volunteer students; each participant completed a demographic questionnaire as well as the New General Self-Efficacy Scale. They then underwent EEG recording while completing a 30 minute visual analysis task – ScanX. Results drawn from this research indicate that there is some association between neural activity and detection within the Alpha 1 and Theta frequency band. Time on task results in decreased neural activity in the Alpha 1, Alpha 2 and Beta 1 frequency band. False alarms had no significant associations with neural activity; yet neural activity indicated an association with misses. Self-efficacy was assessed in terms of reaction time and this yielded no significant result. Limitations, as well as theoretical and practical implications, of this study are considered. Finally, the study suggests further possible lines of research that could elaborate on the relationship between detection and neural activity

Team Vigilance: The Effects of Co-Action on Workload and Stress

Operator vigilance is a vital concern to the Air Force in regard to cockpit monitoring, air-traffic control, and the supervisory control of unmanned aerial vehicles. A key interest is the performance of teams of observers because of the reliance of military operations on good teamwork. Previous literature has examined the efficacy of team vigilance performance by comparing the frequency of target detections by teams in comparison to those obtained by operators working alone. Team performance has consistently exceeded single-operator performance. The present study replicates this effect and provides the initial experimental investigation of the cost of being a team member. Results indicated that team members worked harder but reported less distress than single operators in the performance of a simulated UAV monitoring task

Dynamic office environments improve brain activity and attentional performance mediated by increased motor activity

Current research demonstrates beneficial effects of physical activity on brain functions and cognitive performance. To date, less is known on the effects of movements that do not fall into the category of sports related aerobic or anaerobic exercise but involve gross motor movements. In previous studies, we found beneficial effects of dynamic working environments, i.e. environments that allow movements during cognitive task performance, on cognitive performance and the corresponding brain activity. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a dynamic and a static office environment on attentional and vigilance performance and on the corresponding EEG brain activation patterns. In a two-week intervention, participants worked either in a dynamic or a static office. In each intervention group, twelve subjects performed attentional and vigilance tasks. Spontaneous electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was measured on the first, and on the last experimental session continuously before, during, and immediately after each intervention session. EEG was recorded from nineteen electrodes. Results showed differences in EEG brain activity in the dynamic compared to the static office at the beginning as well as at the end of the intervention. EEG theta power was increased in the vigilance task in anterior regions, alpha power in central and parietal regions in the dynamic compared to the static office. Further, increases in beta activity in the attention and vigilance test were shown in the dynamic compared to the static office. Beta power was increased in frontal and central regions. Gamma power was increased in the d2-R test in frontal and central regions. After two weeks, the effects on brain activity increased for the attentional and the vigilance task in the dynamic office. Increased theta and alpha oscillations were obtained in anterior areas with increased activity in the beta and gamma bands in anterior and central areas in the dynamic compared to the static office. EEG oscillatory patterns indicate beneficial effects of dynamic office environments on attentional and vigilance performance that are mediated by increased motor activity. We discuss the obtained patterns of EEG oscillations in terms of the close interrelations between the attentional and the motor system

The Role of the Prefrontal Cortex and Functional Connectivity during Maritime Operations: An fNIRS study

Introduction: Watchkeeping is a significant activity during maritime operations, and failures of sustained attention and decision‐making can increase the likelihood of a collision. Methods: A study was conducted in a ship bridge simulator where 40 participants (20 experienced/20 inexperienced) performed: (1) a 20‐min period of sustained attention to locate a target vessel and (2) a 10‐min period of decision‐making/action selection to perform an evasive maneuver. Half of the participants also performed an additional task of verbally reporting the position of their vessel. Activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was captured via a 15‐channel functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) montage, and measures of functional connectivity were calculated frontal using graph‐theoretic measures. Results: Neurovascular activation of right lateral area of the PFC decreased during sustained attention and increased during decision‐making. The graph‐theoretic analysis revealed that density declined during decision‐making in comparison with the previous period of sustained attention, while local clustering declined during sustained attention and increased when participants prepared their evasive maneuver. A regression analysis revealed an association between network measures and behavioral outcomes, with respect to spotting the target vessel and making an evasive maneuver. Conclusions: The right lateral area of the PFC is sensitive to watchkeeping and decision‐making during operational performance. Graph‐theoretic measures allow us to quantify patterns of functional connectivity and were predictive of safety‐critical performance

Physiological Measurements for Real-time Fatigue Monitoring in Train Drivers: Review of the State of the Art and Reframing the Problem

The impact of fatigue on train drivers is one of the most important safety-critical issues in rail. It affects drivers’ performance, significantly contributing to railway incidents and accidents. To address the issue of real-time fatigue detection in drivers, most reliable and applicable psychophysiological indicators of fatigue need to be identified. Hence, this paper aims to examine and present the current state of the art in physiological measures for real-time fatigue monitoring that could be applied in the train driving context. Three groups of such measures are identified: EEG, eye-tracking and heart-rate measures. This is the first paper to provide the analysis and review of these measures together on a granular level, focusing on specific variables. Their potential application to monitoring train driver fatigue is discussed in respective sections. A summary of all variables, key findings and issues across these measures is provided. An alternative reconceptualization of the problem is proposed, shifting the focus from the concept of fatigue to that of attention. Several arguments are put forward in support of attention as a better-defined construct, more predictive of performance decrements than fatigue, with serious ramifications on human safety. Proposed reframing of the problem coupled with the detailed presentation of findings for specific relevant variables can serve as a guideline for future empirical research, which is needed in this field

A Neuroergonomics Approach to Mental Workload, Engagement and Human Performance

The assessment and prediction of cognitive performance is a key issue for any discipline concerned with human operators in the context of safety-critical behavior. Most of the research has focused on the measurement of mental workload but this construct remains difficult to operationalize despite decades of research on the topic. Recent advances in Neuroergonomics have expanded our understanding of neurocognitive processes across different operational domains. We provide a framework to disentangle those neural mechanisms that underpin the relationship between task demand, arousal, mental workload and human performance. This approach advocates targeting those specific mental states that precede a reduction of performance efficacy. A number of undesirable neurocognitive states (mind wandering, effort withdrawal, perseveration, inattentional phenomena) are identified and mapped within a two-dimensional conceptual space encompassing task engagement and arousal. We argue that monitoring the prefrontal cortex and its deactivation can index a generic shift from a nominal operational state to an impaired one where performance is likely to degrade. Neurophysiological, physiological and behavioral markers that specifically account for these states are identified. We then propose a typology of neuroadaptive countermeasures to mitigate these undesirable mental states

Efficient mental workload estimation using task-independent EEG features

Objective. Mental workload is frequently estimated by EEG-based mental state monitoring systems. Usually, these systems use spectral markers and event-related potentials ( ERPs ) . To our knowledge, no study has directly compared their performance for mental workload assessment, nor evaluated the stability in time of these markers and of the performance of the associated mental workload estimators. This study proposes a comparison of two processing chains, one based on the power in fi ve frequency bands, and one based on ERPs, both including a spatial filtering step ( respectively CSP and CCA ) , an FLDA classification and a 10-fold cross-validation. Approach. To get closer to a real life implementation, spectral markers were extracted from a short window ( i.e. towards reactive systems ) that did not include any motor activity and the analyzed ERPs were elicited by a task-independent probe that required a re fl ex-like answer ( i.e. close to the ones required by dead man ’ s vigilance devices ) . The data were acquired from 20 participants who performed a Sternberg memory task for 90 min ( i.e. 2 / 6 digits to memorize) inside which a simple detection task was inserted. The results were compared both when the testing was performed at the beginning and end of the session. Main results. Both chains performed significantly better than random; however the one based on the spectral markers had a low performance ( 60% ) and was not stable in time. Conversely, the ERP-based chain gave very high results ( 91% ) and was stable in time. Significance. This study demonstrates that an efficient and stable in time workload estimation can be achieved using task-independent spatially filtered ERPs elicited in a minimally intrusive manner

European NCAP Program Developments to Address Driver Distraction, Drowsiness and Sudden Sickness

Driver distraction and drowsiness remain significant contributors to death and serious injury on our roads and are long standing issues in road safety strategies around the world. With developments in automotive technology, including driver monitoring, there are now more options available for automotive manufactures to mitigate risks associated with driver state. Such developments in Occupant Status Monitoring (OSM) are being incorporated into the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) Safety Assist protocols. The requirements for OSM technologies are discussed along twodimensions: detection difficulty and behavioral complexity. More capable solutions will be able to provide higher levels of system availability, being the proportion of time a system could provide protection to the driver, and will be able to capture a greater proportion of complex real-word driver behavior. The testing approach could initially propose testing using both a dossier of evidence provided by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) alongside selected use of track testing. More capable systems will not rely only on warning strategies but will also include intervention strategies when a driver is not attentive. The roadmap for future OSM protocol development could consider a range of known and emerging safety risks including driving while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, cognitive distraction, and the driver engagement requirements for supervisio

Collecting neurophysiological data to investigate users’ cognitive states during game play

This paper explores the potential of collecting neurophysiological data in order to further understand user’s learning experience. The experimental setup involves collecting electroencephalographic signal (EEG) from the brain cortex to infer users’ cognitive state while they played an educational video game designed to support the learning of Newtonian mechanics. Preliminary results suggest that this neuroscience perspective is quite promising in the idea of quantitatively characterizing users’ learning experience. This could be an innovative and promising avenue in general game development or in educational videogame research field