Brain mechanisms of automated conflict avoidance simulator supervision

Supervision of automated systems is an ubiquitous aspect of most of our everyday life activities which is even more necessary in high risk industries (aeronautics, power plants, etc.). Performance monitoring related to our own error making has been widely studied. Here we propose to assess the neurofunctional correlates of system error detection. We used an aviation-based conflict avoidance simulator with a 40% error-rate and recorded the electroencephalographic activity of participants while they were supervising it. Neural dynamics related to the supervision of system's correct and erroneous responses were assessed in the time and time-frequency domains to address the dynamics of the error detection process in this environment. Two levels of perceptual difficulty were introduced to assess their effect on system's error detection-related evoked activity. Using a robust cluster-based permutation test, we observed a lower widespread evoked activity in the time domain for errors compared to correct responses detection, as well as a higher theta-band activity in the time-frequency domain dissociating the detection of erroneous from that of correct system responses. We also showed a significant effect of difficulty on time-domain evoked activity, and of the phase of the experiment on spectral activity: a decrease in early theta and alpha at the end of the experiment, as well as interaction effects in theta and alpha frequency bands. These results improve our understanding of the brain dynamics of performance monitoring activity in closer-to-real-life settings and are a promising avenue for the detection of error-related components in ecological and dynamic tasks.