Neurocognitive Engineering for Systems’ Development - Neurotechnology in National Security and Defense - page 39

systems-design approaches that rely upon the adaptive capacities of the human nervous
system have been generally successful, it is important to note that as technologies are
increasingly inserted into the systems in use, new approaches to integrating these
systems and mitigating information overload will be necessary.
NEUROCOGNITIVE APPROACHES TO SYSTEM DESIGN
Designing systems that can work in ways that are consistent with human brain func-
tion is nontrivial when considering the factors that influence human neural activity.
For example, substantial evidence points to interindividual differences in neural func-
tion; adaptation of neural function as a function of training, experience, and transfer
effects; and changes in brain state due to stress, fatigue, and the use of various phar-
macological and even nutritional agents. These factors point to a systems engineer-
ing approach that examines not only the use of the system itself, but (1) the impact
of environmental stressors, training and experience with the system, and other related
technologies and (2) the capabilities of users at various levels of skill, experience, and
internal state. Perhaps the most critical aspect of such an approach is to first enhance
our understanding of cognitive function in operationally-relevant contexts.
ASSESSMENT IN OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS
Previously, traditional cognitive psychology, human factors, and engineering
approaches have often been successful in addressing some of the cognitive-based
needs of technology development. However, increased information intensity of the
current and future battlefield, as discussed, is likely to challenge soldiers in ways not
previously considered. Given the importance of cognitive performance in facing these
challenges, we believe that systems that are not harmonized to human neural informa-
tion processing will diminish the potential impact of our investments in technology.
More importantly, this would lead to deficits in soldier-system performance on the
battlefield, endangering soldier sustainability, survivability, and mission success.
Understanding the impact of an increasingly complex and information-intense opera-
tional environment on cognitive performance is a fundamental step toward developing
approaches to systems design that can mitigate the negative consequences of cogni-
tive and information overload. We contend that, to provide systems developers with
the knowledge of human (i.e., warfighter) cognition needed to make critical design and
development decisions, such understandings must be objective, nonintrusive, high resolu-
tion, and operationally relevant. Real-time assessments of warfighter cognitive capabili-
ties and limitations would provide further potential for systems research, development,
test, and evaluation that can integrate online knowledge of soldier functional state and
adapt system behavior to suit the operator's current operational needs and abilities.
Unfortunately, traditional methods of cognitive performance evaluation alone can-
not provide an understanding of the mechanisms and technical approaches required.
Here again, we consider the concept of cognitive or information workload. Generally,
there are four traditional techniques for assessing workload: performance measures,
subjective ratings, physiological measurements, and subject matter expert opinion.
Performance measures such as reaction time or response time are used extensively in