Modeling cognitive load and physiological arousal through pupil diameter and heart rate [Elektronisk resurs]

• This study investigates individuals’ cognitive load processing abilities while engaged on a decision-making task in serious games, to explore how a substantial cognitive load dominates over the physiological arousal effect on pupil diameter. A serious game was presented to the participants, which displayed the on–line biofeedback based on physiological measurements of arousal. In such dynamic decision-making environment, the pupil diameter was analyzed in relation to the heart rate, to evaluate if the former could be a useful measure of cognitive abilities of individuals. As pupil might reflect both cognitive activity and physiological arousal, the pupillary response will show an arousal effect only when the cognitive demands of the situation are minimal. Evidence shows that in a situation where a substantial level of cognitive activity is required, only that activity will be observable on the pupil diameter, dominating over the physiological arousal effect indicated by the pupillary response. It is suggested that it might be possible to design serious games tailored to the cognitive abilities of an individual player, using the proposed physiological measurements to observe the moment when such dominance occurs. © 2018, The Author(s). 

Ämnesord

Natural Sciences  (hsv)

Computer and Information Sciences  (hsv)

Other Computer and Information Science  (hsv)

Naturvetenskap  (hsv)

Data- och informationsvetenskap  (hsv)

Annan data- och informationsvetenskap  (hsv)

Indexterm och SAB-rubrik

Arousal

Cognitive load

Electrocardiogram

Physiology

Pupil diameter

Serious games

Biofeedback

Decision making

Electrocardiography

Heart

Neurophysiology

Physiological models

Cognitive activities

Cognitive loads

Dynamic decision making

Physiological measurement

Processing ability

Pupillary response

Psychophysiology