Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this information.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Reduction of N-nitrosodimethylamine with zero-valent zinc.

Water research·2012
Same author

Element distribution in the corrosion layer and cytotoxicity of alloy Mg-10Dy during in vitro biodegradation.

Acta biomaterialia·2012
Same author

Functional polymorphisms of CHRNA3 predict risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer in Chinese.

PloS one·2012
Same author

Identification and characterization of two novel bla(KLUC) resistance genes through large-scale resistance plasmids sequencing.

PloS one·2012
Same author

Functional genetic variations in the IL-23 receptor gene are associated with risk of breast, lung and nasopharyngeal cancer in Chinese populations.

Carcinogenesis·2012
Same author

Risk factors of low back pain among the Chinese occupational population: a case-control study.

Biomedical and environmental sciences : BES·2012

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
07:01

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

[Mental workload for mental arithmetic on visual display terminal].

Xiao-Wu Peng1, Qi-Cai He, Tao Ji

  • 1Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.

Zhonghua Lao Dong Wei Sheng Zhi Ye Bing Za Zhi = Zhonghua Laodong Weisheng Zhiyebing Zazhi = Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases
|January 24, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Mental workload increases with task difficulty. Subjective ratings, task performance, and psychophysiological measures effectively assess mental load during computer tasks, suggesting multi-index evaluation is optimal.

More Related Videos

A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets
08:45

A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets

Published on: December 5, 2014

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
09:05

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)

Published on: June 12, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
07:01

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets
08:45

A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets

Published on: December 5, 2014

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
09:05

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)

Published on: June 12, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Psychophysiology

Context:

  • Assessing mental workload is crucial for optimizing performance and preventing fatigue in demanding tasks.
  • Visual display terminal (VDT) environments present unique challenges for cognitive load management.
  • Mental arithmetic tasks on VDTs provide a controlled environment to study workload variations.

Purpose:

  • To evaluate subjective ratings, task performance metrics, and psychophysiological responses as methods for assessing mental workload.
  • To investigate the relationship between task complexity and various workload indicators.
  • To determine the efficacy of using multiple assessment methods for a comprehensive understanding of mental load.

Summary:

  • Increased task difficulty in mental arithmetic on VDTs correlated with higher subjective workload (Cooper-Harper scale), decreased performance (correct rate, speed), and altered psychophysiological signals (pupil size, blink rate, heart rate variability).
  • Specific heart rate variability parameters (TP, VLF, LF, LF/HF) decreased, while others (HFnorm, HF/TP, rMSSD) increased during mental arithmetic tasks compared to rest.
  • While individual methods showed sensitivity to workload changes, no significant differences were found between the three task difficulty groups, highlighting the potential of multi-index assessment.

Impact:

  • Findings suggest that combining subjective, performance-based, and psychophysiological measures provides a more robust assessment of mental workload.
  • This research informs the design of VDT interfaces and work protocols to mitigate cognitive overload.
  • The study advocates for a multi-index approach to accurately quantify mental workload in complex tasks.