Cognitive load recognition in simulated flight missions: an EEG study

Cognitive load recognition (CLR) utilizing EEG signals has experienced significant advancement in recent years. However, current load-eliciting paradigms often rely on simplistic cognitive tasks such as arithmetic calculations, failing to adequately replicate real-world scenarios and lacking applicability. This study explores simulated flight missions over time to better reflect operational environments and investigate temporal dynamics of multiple load states. Thirty-six participants were recruited to perform simulated flight tasks with varying cognitive load levels of low, medium, and high. Throughout the experiments, we collected EEG load data from three sessions, pre- and post-task resting-state EEG data, subjective ratings, and objective performance metrics. Then, we employed several deep convolutional neural network (CNN) models, utilizing raw EEG data as model input, to assess cognitive load levels with six classification designs. Key findings from the study include (1) a notable distinction between resting-state and post-fatigue EEG data; (2) superior performance of shallow CNN models compared to more complex ones; and (3) temporal dynamics decline in CLR as the missions progressed. This paper establishes a potential foundation for assessing cognitive states during intricate simulated tasks across different individuals.