Electrocortical Activity and Operator Workload: A Comparison of Changes in the Electroencephalogram and in Event-Related Potentials

Abstract : Pilot workload consideration are beginning to have a distinct cognitive emphasis, due to changes that are occurring in display formats and operating procedures. Consequently, new techniques for assessing workload must be developed that are more sensitive to fluctuations in attentiveness and in the capacity to time-share several system demands for processing, decision-making, and action. A flight simulation experiment was conducted in which pilots were trained to follow a commanded flight profile and maintain airspeed while concurrently performing threat avoidance and target acquisition tasks. Two types of brain electrical activity, event-related potentials (ERPs) and the 'ongoing' electroencephalogram (EEG), were analyzed in response to direct manipulations of difficulty in executing commanded flight maneuvers.