Boere Katherine, Anderson Francesca, Hecker Kent G, Krigolson Olav E
Theoretical and Applied Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada.
The Health Education Neuroassessment Laboratory, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Neuroimage Rep. 2024 Nov 19;4(4):100228. doi: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2024.100228. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Cognitive load, or the mental effort required to process and retain information, is a critical factor in high-stakes environments where task demands often exceed working memory capacity, leading to performance declines and errors. However, most cognitive load research has relied on controlled, single-task paradigms, limiting its applicability to real-world multitasking situations. Addressing this gap, we used a mobile, two-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device to measure cognitive load in a complex multitasking environment, simulating real-world cognitive demands. Thirty-one undergraduate participants engaged in single-task and multitask conditions to simulate real-world cognitive demands. Results showed that subjective cognitive load ratings were higher, performance scores were lower, and error rates increased in the multitask condition compared to the single-task condition. However, contrary to expectations, prefrontal cortex activation did not increase in the multitask condition, suggesting a "cognitive disengagement" effect, where the brain limits engagement to manage overload. This finding challenges the traditional one-to-one association between cognitive load and prefrontal activation, as seen in simpler validation studies. Our study highlights the value of mobile fNIRS for assessing cognitive load in ecologically valid settings and provides insights that could inform strategies for optimizing performance in high-stakes environments like aviation and healthcare.
认知负荷，即处理和保留信息所需的心理努力，是高风险环境中的一个关键因素，在这种环境中，任务需求往往超过工作记忆容量，导致绩效下降和出错。然而，大多数认知负荷研究依赖于受控的单任务范式，限制了其在现实世界多任务情境中的适用性。为了弥补这一差距，我们使用了一种便携式双通道功能近红外光谱（fNIRS）设备，在复杂的多任务环境中测量认知负荷，模拟现实世界的认知需求。31名本科参与者参与了单任务和多任务条件，以模拟现实世界的认知需求。结果表明，与单任务条件相比，多任务条件下主观认知负荷评分更高，绩效得分更低，错误率增加。然而，与预期相反，多任务条件下前额叶皮层的激活并没有增加，这表明存在一种“认知脱离”效应，即大脑限制参与以管理过载。这一发现挑战了在更简单的验证研究中看到的认知负荷与前额叶激活之间的传统一对一关联。我们的研究强调了便携式fNIRS在生态有效环境中评估认知负荷的价值，并提供了一些见解，可为优化航空和医疗等高风险环境中的绩效策略提供参考。
