Mental Workload and Prefrontal Brain Activity During Silent Reading Task in University Students with Problematic...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is prevalent among students and associated with diminished academic outcomes.
• The specific impact of PSU on cognitive processes during learning, such as attention and executive function, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how auditory cue stimulation during a reading task affects mental workload and prefrontal brain activity in university students with PSU.
• To compare these effects between students with PSU and healthy controls (HC).

Main Methods:

• University students with PSU and HC completed a silent reading task with simulated notification sounds.
• Mental workload was assessed using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX).
• Prefrontal brain activity was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Main Results:

• The PSU group reported significantly higher frustration levels compared to the HC group.
• In HC, auditory cues led to increased oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb) in the right medial prefrontal cortex and decreased deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) in the left lateral prefrontal cortex.
• The PSU group showed no significant changes in these prefrontal activity markers following cue stimulation.

Conclusions:

• University students with PSU experience heightened frustration during learning tasks.
• PSU is associated with impaired prefrontal brain activity, specifically within the executive control network, when exposed to distracting stimuli during reading.
• These findings suggest that PSU may negatively impact cognitive control and learning efficiency in academic settings.