The level of mental load during a functional task is reflected in oculometrics
Modern occupations have increasingly become mentally demanding. This underlines the needs for investigation of the interaction of mental and physical workload. This study assessed the effects of mental load on ocular metrics and their consistency across d
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Physical Activity and Human Performance group - SMI, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark 2 University Grenoble-Alpes, EA AGEIS, La Tronche, France
Abstract— Modern occupations have increasingly become mentally demanding. This underlines the needs for investigation of the interaction of mental and physical workload. This study assessed the effects of mental load on ocular metrics and their consistency across days. Eighteen participants performed a five minute simulated computer work with three different levels of mental load in two days at least seven days apart. Eye movements in response to the task mental load level were recorded. Along with eye movements, task performance, and national aeronautics and space administration task load index (NASA-TLX) scores were acquired. Peak saccade velocity decreased, and pupil dilation range increased with the task load level and the response remained consistent across experimental days. Increased NASA-TLX score and reduced performance were in association with mental load demand. The study shows the feasibility of quantifying the mental load demands by monitoring oculometrics during a functional task such as computer work. Keywords— Oculometrics, Mental load, Computer work, Neuroergonomics, Eye movements.
I. INTRODUCTION
In modern societies, the work paradigm has changed in a way that current occupations have in general more mentally demanding components than the past [1]. Sustained mental demands of a task may lead to mental fatigue which can be associated with low performance and health risks like workrelated disorders [2]. Recent studies have reported altered eye movement dynamics in response to mental load [3]. The integration of visuospatial cues is a key component of cognitive processes in the brain [4]. Therefore, the alteration of eye movement characteristics in response to changed mental load is conceivable. Several brain areas such as posterior parietal and frontal cortices, basal ganglia, thalamus, superior colliculus, cerebellum, and brain-stem reticular formation are involved in controlling the eye movements [5]. These findings along with the advancement in eye-tracking technology for unobtrusively recording eye movements re-emphasizes the propitiousness of recruiting oculometrics. The underlying dynamics appearing in ocular metrics, e.g., fixation duration, peak saccade velocity can be extracted from eye movement trajectories. The quantification of © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 H. Eskola et al. (eds.), EMBEC & NBC 2017, IFMBE Proceedings 65, DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-5122-7_15
mental load level in a functional task with concurrent physical and mental demand has been elusive [6] but oculomotor responses during such tasks has scarcely been investigated. Thus, this study aimed at investigating oculomotor responses during a functional task performed on a computer and hypothesized that the mental load level during such a task can be reflected in characteristics of oculomotor responses.
II.
MATERIALS AND METH
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