Sense of agency during human-robot interaction

The sense of agency experienced in joint action is thus a central subjective dimension of human sociality. In a series of 3 experiments, we explore the development of we-agency when interacting with robot. Combining a Social Simon task with the intentional binding effect, we explore (1) the emergence of self and we-agency in joint action and (2) the impact of the nature of the partner (human Vs Social robot Vs Computer) on the development of we-agency. Our two first experiments show that a vicarious sense of agency developed when co-acting with another human agent but not with a computer. Moreover, EEG data indicated a decrease in task involvement when engaged in human-computer interaction. A third experiment shows that the social nature of the artificial agent can modulate the development of we-agency, but also that the emergence of a we-unit can alter the development of the self-agency. Taken together, the different studies presented suggest that the science of agency provide us new conceptual tools and measures to analyze agent-system interaction

Reduce the opacity of the systems in order to have a better sense of agency and acceptability for the automated system

During Human–computer interaction (HCI), human can distinguish his own actions from the actions caused by the system or an external event. This feeling is called “Sense of Agency” (SoA; Gallagher, 2000). This form of self-awareness is important not only for motor control but also for the ascription of causal responsibility and serves as a key motivational force for human behaviour. Scientifically, the formation of the SoA is still questioned, but a consensus has been found by explaining this formation with a causal chain: “Intention – Action – Effect”

How eye tracking data can enhance human performance in tomorrow's cockpit

How eye tracking data can enhance human performance in tomorrow’s cockpit. Results from a flight simulation study in FUTURE SKY SAFETY

An electromyographic analysis of the effects of cognitive fatigue on reactive and proactive action control

Complex activities require a sustained mental effort that causes cognitive fatigue. This fatigue may be the source of errors by disrupting action control. In this study, we examined its effects on reactive and proactive action control. Two groups performed a Simon task (a conflict task) after completing a fatigue-inducing task (a dual task combining a 2-back task and a parity judgment task, Borragàn et al., 2017) in which the cognitive load was high or low. In order to measure reactive and proactive control, we evaluated the correction rate, distributional analyses and the Gratton effect based on electromyographic analyses. We observed that fatigue have only impaired proactive control. Participants in the high load condition were less able to adjust their behavior after observing a conflict. These results are in line with previous studies which posit a change to less demanding strategies when participants became mentally fatigued

Exploring the relation between Metacognition, Multi-tasking and stress

When people do multiple tasks at the same time, it is often found that their performance is worse relative to when they do those same tasks in isolation. Indeed, error rates and response times (the Type 1 performance) have been repeatedly found to increase when multitasking. However, one aspect that has received little empirical attention in comparison, is whether observers are aware of these effects (their Type 2 performance). In a previous study, using a simple dual-task visual paradigm, we found that metacognition was unaffected by multitasking. In order to understand if this result could be generalised to other types of multitasking, we further developed a multi-modal paradigm, involving a motor tracking task, a visual detection task, and an auditory n-back task. We made participants perform these tasks in different combinations of single-, dual-, and tripletasking, and asked them to assess their own performance on a trial-by-trial basis. Comparing these different conditions, we discuss our results in the light of the influence that multitasking, and the specific type of task, has both on type 1 and type 2 performance, as well as on participants’ metacognitive bias. Finally, we explore how stress impact these different measures

Structuring process and closure principle in spatial and temporal reproduction tasks

International audienceThe goal of the experiment reported was to replicate the previous Sarrazin's (2000) study in order to verify, with an adequate methodological procedure, whether or not the closure principle applied in spatial and temporal reproduction tasks. The hypothesis defended was that the closure of the pattern is an intrinsic property of the structuring process in spatial memory. The stimuli consisted of eight visually presented dots that appeared sequentially with inter-dot distances corresponding to inter-dot durations. After a learning phase, participants reproduced the spatial (space condition) or temporal (time condition) characteristics of the target 60 times in succession. We analyzed the variance level for both element location and Inter-Element-Interval (IEI) on spatial and temporal responses. Two main results emerge from this experiment: (1) the critical dependency of the closure principle to the nature (spatial or temporal) of the response, (2) the importance to consider both locations and intervals as complementary information. These results are discussed in the light of physical system, in particular in term of compensation phenomenon and we proposed a mathematical model that replicates the qualitative feature of variance for both space and time conditions

Cognitive fatigue assessment in operational settings: a review and UAS implications

Recent technological improvements allow UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) operators to carry out increasingly long missions. Shift work was introduced during long-endurance missions to reduce the risk of fatigue. However, despite these short work periods and the creation of a fatigue risk management system (FRMS), the occurrence of intense and monotonous phases remains a factor of cognitive fatigue. This fatigue can have an impact on vigilance, attention, and operator performance, leading to reduce mission safety. This paper aims at presenting different ways to characterize the cognitive fatigue of UAS operators. The use of machine learning to estimate cognitive fatigue based on physiological measures is also presented as a promising venue to mitigate these issues

Brain–Computer Interface-Based Adaptive Automation to Prevent Out-Of-The-Loop Phenomenon in Air Traffic Controllers Dealing With Highly Automated Systems

International audienceIncreasing the level of automation in air traffic management is seen as a measure to increase the performance of the service to satisfy the predicted future demand. This is expected to result in new roles for the human operator: he will mainly monitor highly automated systems and seldom intervene. Therefore, air traffic controllers (ATCos) would often work in a supervisory or control mode rather than in a direct operating mode. However, it has been demonstrated how human operators in such a role are affected by human performance issues, known as Out-Of-The-Loop (OOTL) phenomenon, consisting in lack of attention, loss of situational awareness and de-skilling. A countermeasure to this phenomenon has been identified in the adaptive automation (AA), i.e., a system able to allocate the operative tasks to the machine or to the operator depending on their needs. In this context, psychophysiological measures have been highlighted as powerful tool to provide a reliable, unobtrusive and real-time assessment of the ATCo’s mental state to be used as control logic for AA-based systems. In this paper, it is presented the so-called “Vigilance and Attention Controller”, a system based on electroencephalography (EEG) and eye-tracking (ET) techniques, aimed to assess in real time the vigilance level of an ATCo dealing with a highly automated human–machine interface and to use this measure to adapt the level of automation of the interface itself. The system has been tested on 14 professional ATCos performing two highly realistic scenarios, one with the system disabled and one with the system enabled. The results confirmed that (i) long high automated tasks induce vigilance decreasing and OOTL-related phenomena; (ii) EEG measures are sensitive to these kinds of mental impairments; and (iii) AA was able to counteract this negative effect by keeping the ATCo more involved within the operative task. The results were confirmed by EEG and ET measures as well as by performance and subjective ones, providing a clear example of potential applications and related benefits of AA

Factor structure of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in Brazil: convergent validation of the Brazilian version

Objectives: The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was developed to assess the symptoms of schizophrenia dimensionally. Although it is widely used in clinical trials in Brazil, it is not fully validated. The aim of this study is to assess the factor structure of the Brazilian PANSS and generate validation data for its current version. Methods: A total of 292 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were enrolled. Results: Principal component analysis suggested a forced five-factor final model that accounted for 58.44% of the total variance, composed of negative, disorganization/cognition, excitement, positive, and depression/anxiety. Conclusion: The Brazilian PANSS has a similar factor structure and internal consistency compared to its other country versions.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Department of Psychiatry Interdisciplinary Laboratory in Clinical Neuroscience (LiNC)UNIFESP Schizophrenia Program (PROESQ)Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo Center for Integrated Mental HealthUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Department of PsychiatryUNIFESP Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and GeneticsUNIFESP, Department of Psychiatry Interdisciplinary Laboratory in Clinical Neuroscience (LiNC)UNIFESP, Schizophrenia Program (PROESQ)UNIFESP, Department of PsychiatryUNIFESP, Genetics Division, Department of Morphology and GeneticsSciEL

Peripheral interleukin-2 level is associated with negative symptoms and cognitive performance in schizophrenia

Although several studies have pointed to a possible role of interleukin 2 (IL-2) in schizophrenia (SZ), association between IL-2 and the different groups of symptoms has not been explored. the objective of this study was to investigate a possible correlation of peripheral IL-2 levels with symptoms and cognitive performance in patients with SZ. in addition, we compared the plasma levels of IL-2 between patients with SZ and healthy controls. Twenty-nine chronically medicated outpatients with SZ according to DSM-IV were compared with twenty-six healthy controls. the patients were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). All the participants had blood collected into EDTA tubes by venipuncture between 9:00 and 10:00 AM. Plasma concentrations of IL-2 were determined by cytometric bead array. A computerized neuropsychological battery assessed verbal learning, verbal fluency, working memory, set shifting, executive function, inhibition and intelligence. Patients with SZ had lower levels of IL-2 than healthy controls (p < 0.001). in the SZ group, IL-2 levels were positively correlated with scores in the digit span test (rho = 0.416, P = 0.025) and intelligence (rho = 0.464, P = 0.011). We also found a negative correlation between IL-2 and total score in the negative subscale of PANSS (rho = -0.447, p = 0.015). Our findings suggest that IL-2 may be involved in the mechanisms related to cognitive deterioration and negative symptomatology in schizophrenia. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychiat, Schizophrenia Program PROESQ, BR-04044000 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychiat, Interdisciplinary Lab Clin Neurosci LINC, BR-04039032 São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Translat Psychoneuroimmunol Grp, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychiat, Schizophrenia Program PROESQ, BR-04044000 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychiat, Interdisciplinary Lab Clin Neurosci LINC, BR-04039032 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc