P.1.f.010 Event-related potentials and secondary task performance during simulated driving performance

Objective. Stress-reducing therapies help maintain cognitive performance during stress. Aromatherapy is popular for stress reduction, but its effectiveness and mechanism are unclear. This study examined stress-reducing effects of aromatherapy on cognitive function using the go/no-go (GNG) task performance and event related potentials (ERP) components sensitive to stress. The study also assessed the importance of expectancy in aromatherapy actions.Methods. 81 adults were randomized to 3 aroma groups (active experimental, detectable, and undetectable placebo) and 2 prime subgroups (prime suggesting stress-reducing aroma effects or no-prime). GNG performance, ERPs, subjective expected aroma effects, and stress ratings were assessed at baseline and poststress.Results. No specific aroma effects on stress or cognition were observed. However, regardless of experienced aroma, people receiving a prime displayed faster poststress median reaction times than those receiving no prime. A significant interaction for N200 amplitude indicated divergent ERP patterns between baseline and poststress for go and no-go stimuli depending on the prime subgroup. Furthermore, trends for beneficial prime effects were shown on poststress no-go N200/P300 latencies and N200 amplitude.Conclusion. While there were no aroma-specific effects on stress or cognition, these results highlight the role of expectancy for poststress response inhibition and attention.

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Comparison of Primary and Secondary Task Measures as a Function of Simulated Vehicle Dynamics and Driving Conditions

Human Factors The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ◽

10.1177/001872087802000211 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 233-244 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Walter W. Wierwille ◽

James C. Gutmann

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Vehicle Dynamics ◽

Secondary Task ◽

Driving Simulator ◽

Driving Performance ◽

Independent Variables ◽

Moving Base ◽

High Workload ◽

Driving Task ◽

Task Measure

In a previously reported experiment involving a moving base driving simulator with computer-generated display, secondary task measures of workload showed significant increases as a function of large changes in vehicle dynamics and disturbance levels. Because the secondary task measures appeared less sensitive than desired, driving performance measures recorded during the same experiment were later analyzed. Particular emphasis in examining the driving performance data was placed on (1) determining the degree of intrusion of the secondary task on the driving task as a function of the independent variables, and (2) on comparing the sensitivity of the primary and secondary task measures. The results showed the secondary task does intrude significantly upon the driving task performance at low workload levels, but that it does not significantly intrude at high workload levels. Also, when the four primary task measures were analyzed for sensitivity to the independent variables, new information was obtained indicating greater sensitivity than is obtained with the single secondary task measure. Steering ratio, for example, is found to affect performance at high disturbance levels—a result not obtained in examining the secondary task by itself. The merits of primary and secondary task performance analysis are discussed, and suggestions are made for future work.

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Primary and Secondary Task Analysis of Step Tracking: An Event-Related Potentials Approach

Proceedings of the Human Factors Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/107118138102500112 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 43-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Arthur Kramer ◽

Christopher Wickens ◽

Linda Vanasse ◽

Earle Heffley ◽

Emanuel Donchin

Keyword(s):

Secondary Task ◽

Task Difficulty ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Tracking Task ◽

Primary Task ◽

P300 Amplitude ◽

Task Load ◽

Initial Reduction ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Assessment Techniques

The utility of the Event Related Brain Potential for the evaluation of task load was investigated. Subjects performed a discrete step tracking task with either first or second order control dynamics. In different conditions, the subject covertly counted auditory probes, visual probes, or tracking target steps presented in a Bernoulli series. In a fourth experimental condition subjects performed the primary tracking task without a secondary task. In the auditory condition, an increase in the difficulty of the primary task produced a decrease in the amplitude of the P300 elicited by the secondary count task. The introduction of the primary task in the visual condition resulted in an initial reduction in P300 amplitude but increasing task difficulty failed to attenuate the P300 further. A positive relationship between primary task difficulty and P300 amplitude was obtained in the step conditions. Furthermore, this effect did not require that the step changes be counted. The results are addressed in terms of the relative advantages of primary and secondary ERP workload assessment techniques.

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Sustaining attention for a prolonged period of time increases temporal variability in cortical responses

10.1101/501544 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Leon C. Reteig ◽

Ruud L. van den Brink ◽

Sam Prinssen ◽

Michael X Cohen ◽

Heleen A. Slagter

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Sustained Attention ◽

Temporal Variability ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Initial Level ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Time On Task ◽

Vigilance Decrement ◽

Attention Task ◽

Related Potentials

AbstractOur ability to stay focused is limited: prolonged performance of a task typically results in mental fatigue and decrements in performance over time. This so-called vigilance decrement has been attributed to depletion of attentional resources, though other factors such as reductions in motivation likely also play a role. In this study, we examined three EEG markers of attentional control, to elucidate which stage of attentional processing is most affected by time-on-task and motivation. To elicit the vigilance decrement, participants performed a sustained attention task for 80 minutes without breaks. After 60 minutes, participants were motivated by an unexpected monetary incentive to increase performance in the final 20 minutes. We found that task performance and self-reported motivation declined rapidly, reaching a stable levels well before the motivation manipulation was introduced. Thereafter, motivation increased back up to the initial level, and remained there for the final 20 minutes. While task performance also increased, it did not return to the initial level, and fell to the lowest level overall during the final 10 minutes. This pattern of performance changes was mirrored by the trial-to-trial consistency of the phase of theta (3–7 Hz) oscillations, an index of the variability in timing of the neural response to the stimulus. As task performance decreased, temporal variability increased, suggesting that attentional stability is crucial for sustained attention performance. The effects of attention on our two other EEG measures—early P1/N1 event-related potentials and pre-stimulus alpha (9–14 Hz) power—did not change with time-on-task or motivation. In sum, these findings show that the vigilance decrement is accompanied by a decline in only some facets of attentional control, which cannot be fully brought back online by increases in motivation. The vigilance decrement might thus not occur due to a single cause, but is likely multifactorial in origin.

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Falls Risk and Simulated Driving Performance in Older Adults

Journal of Aging Research ◽

10.1155/2013/356948 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

John G. Gaspar ◽

Mark B. Neider ◽

Arthur F. Kramer

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Task Performance ◽

Dual Task ◽

Response Times ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Driving Performance ◽

Unexpected Events ◽

Falls Risk ◽

Simulated Driving ◽

Dual Task Performance

Declines in executive function and dual-task performance have been related to falls in older adults, and recent research suggests that older adults at risk for falls also show impairments on real-world tasks, such as crossing a street. The present study examined whether falls risk was associated with driving performance in a high-fidelity simulator. Participants were classified as high or low falls risk using the Physiological Profile Assessment and completed a number of challenging simulated driving assessments in which they responded quickly to unexpected events. High falls risk drivers had slower response times (~2.1 seconds) to unexpected events compared to low falls risk drivers (~1.7 seconds). Furthermore, when asked to perform a concurrent cognitive task while driving, high falls risk drivers showed greater costs to secondary task performance than did low falls risk drivers, and low falls risk older adults also outperformed high falls risk older adults on a computer-based measure of dual-task performance. Our results suggest that attentional differences between high and low falls risk older adults extend to simulated driving performance.

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The Joys of Spring

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169/a000166 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 71-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Leigh M. Riby

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Target Stimulus ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Attention And Memory ◽

Program Music ◽

Four Seasons ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Autumn And Winter ◽

The Impact ◽

Cognitive Event

This study used Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, an extraordinary example of program music, to explore the consequence of music exposure on cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs). Seventeen participants performed a three-stimulus visual odd-ball task while ERPs were recorded. Participants were required to differentiate between a rare target stimulus (to elicit a memory updating component; P3b), a rare novel stimulus (to elicit a novelty attention component; P3a), and a frequent nontarget stimulus. During task performance participants listened to the four concertos: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter in comparison to a silent control condition. Additionally, the three movements of each concerto have a fast, slow, fast structure that enabled examination of the impact of tempo. The data revealed that “Spring,” particularly the well-recognized, vibrant, emotive, and uplifting first movement, had the ability to enhance mental alertness and brain measures of attention and memory.

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Mobile Brain/Body Imaging of cognitive-motor impairment in multiple sclerosis: deriving EEG-based neuro-markers during a dual-task walking study

10.1101/743328 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Pierfilippo De Sanctis ◽

Brenda R. Malcolm ◽

Peter C. Mabie ◽

Ana A. Francisco ◽

Wenzhu B. Mowrey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Task Performance ◽

Dual Task ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Motor Impairment ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Motor Dysfunction ◽

Task Load ◽

Dual Task Performance ◽

Related Potentials

ABSTRACTIndividuals with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) often present with deficits in the cognitive as well as the motor domain. The ability to perform tasks that rely on both domains may therefore be particularly impaired. Yet, behavioral studies designed to measure costs associated with performing two tasks at the same time such as dual-task walking have yielded mixed results. Patients may mobilize additional brain resources to sustain good levels of performance. To test this hypothesis, we acquired event-related potentials (ERP) in thirteen individuals with MS and fifteen healthy control (HC) participants performing a Go/NoGo response inhibition task while sitting (i.e., single task) or walking on a treadmill (i.e., dual-task). In previous work, we showed that the nogo-N2 elicited by the cognitive task was reduced when healthy adults are also asked to walk, and that nogo-N2 reduction was accompanied by sustained dual-task performance. We predicted that some MS patients, similar to their healthy peers, may mobilize N2-indexed brain resources and thereby reduce costs. Somewhat to our surprise, the HC group performed the Go/NoGo task more accurately while walking, thus showing a dual-task benefit, whereas, in line with expectation, the MS group showed a trend towards dual-task costs. The expected nogo-N2 reduction during dual-task walking was found in the HC group, but was not present at the group level in the MS group, suggesting that this group did not modulate the nogo-N2 process in response to higher task load. Regression analysis for the pooled sample revealed a robust link between nogo-N2 reduction and better dual-task performance. We conclude that impaired nogo-N2 adaptation reflects a neurophysiological marker of cognitive-motor dysfunction in MS.

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