Granular estimation of user cognitive workload using multi-modal physiological sensors

Mental workload (MWL) is a crucial area of study due to its significant influence on task performance and potential for significant operator error. However, measuring MWL presents challenges, as it is a multi-dimensional construct. Previous research on MWL models has focused on differentiating between two to three levels. Nonetheless, tasks can vary widely in their complexity, and little is known about how subtle variations in task difficulty influence workload indicators. To address this, we conducted an experiment inducing MWL in up to 5 levels, hypothesizing that our multi-modal metrics would be able to distinguish between each MWL stage. We measured the induced workload using task performance, subjective assessment, and physiological metrics. Our simulated task was designed to induce diverse MWL degrees, including five different math and three different verbal tiers. Our findings indicate that all investigated metrics successfully differentiated between various MWL levels induced by different tiers of math problems. Notably, performance metrics emerged as the most effective assessment, being the only metric capable of distinguishing all the levels. Some limitations were observed in the granularity of subjective and physiological metrics. Specifically, the subjective overall mental workload couldn't distinguish lower levels of workload, while all physiological metrics could detect a shift from lower to higher levels, but did not distinguish between workload tiers at the higher or lower ends of the scale (e.g., between the easy and the easy-medium tiers). Despite these limitations, each pair of levels was effectively differentiated by one or more metrics. This suggests a promising avenue for future research, exploring the integration or combination of multiple metrics. The findings suggest that subtle differences in workload levels may be distinguishable using combinations of subjective and physiological metrics.