A multimodal study to measure the cognitive demands of hazard recognition in construction workplaces

Abstract Hazard recognition has been extensively explored in previous studies. However, deficits have arisen due to the neglect of task-specific effects, information distortion by image-based experimental tasks, and the exclusive use of eye trackers. This study aimed to explore how cognitive patterns vary in simulated construction worksites with different types of hazards using multimodal monitoring. A hazard recognition task was conducted in a hazardous civil laboratory using both an eye tracker and a near-infrared spectrum system to capture pupil responses and cerebral oxyhemoglobin signals. Cognitive responses were analyzed according to hazard type and scene complexity. The results showed that falling hazards induced the most cerebral and pupillary activation. Scene complexity triggers an increase in pupil diameter and impacts cerebral activities by interaction with hazard type. This study also reveals the complementary functions of pupillary responses and neural processes in hazardous simulated worksites and a ceiling effect of cognitive resources. We conclude that construction workplaces with different types of hazards can induce different cognitive demands and should thus be treated individually. This information is potentially useful for practical applications.

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