Task Performance Research Articles

Make or Break: The Influence of Expected Challenges and Rewards on the Motivation and Experience Associated with Cognitive Effort Exertion.

Challenging goals can induce harder work but also greater stress, in turn potentially undermining goal achievement. We sought to examine how mental effort and subjective experiences thereof interact as a function of the challenge level and the size of the incentives at stake. Participants performed a task that rewarded individual units of effort investment (correctly performed Stroop trials) but only if they met a threshold number of correct trials within a fixed time interval (challenge level). We varied this challenge level (Study 1, n = 40) and the rewards at stake (Study 2, n = 79) and measured variability in task performance and self-reported affect across task intervals. Greater challenge and higher rewards facilitated greater effort investment but also induced greater stress, whereas higher rewards (and lower challenge) simultaneously induced greater positive affect. Within intervals, we observed an initial speed up then slowdown in performance, which could reflect dynamic reconfiguration of control. Collectively, these findings further our understanding of the influence of task demands and incentives on mental effort exertion and well-being.

Age-related Electrophysical Correlates of Cross-modal Attention Switching.

The human experience demands seamless attentional switches between sensory modalities. Aging raises questions about how declines in auditory and visual processing affect cross-modal attention switching. This study used a cued cross-modal attention-switching paradigm where visual and auditory stimuli were simultaneously presented on either spatially congruent or incongruent sides. A modality cue indicated the target modality, requiring a spatially left versus right key-press response. EEG recordings were collected during task performance. We investigated whether the mixing costs (decreased performance for repetition trials in a mixed task compared with a single task) and switch costs (decreased performance for a switch of target modality compared with a repetition) in cross-modal attention-switching paradigms would exhibit similarities in terms of behavioral performance and the ERP components to those observed in the traditional unimodal attention-switching paradigms. Specifically, we focused on the ERP components: cue-locked P3 (mixing/switch-related increased positivity), target-locked P3 (mixing/switch-related decreased positivity), and target-locked lateralized readiness potential (mixing/switch-related longer latency). In addition, we assessed how aging impacts cross-modal attention-switching performance. Results revealed that older adults exhibited more pronounced mixing and switch costs than younger adults, especially when visual and auditory stimuli were presented on incongruent sides. ERP findings showed increased cue-locked P3 amplitude, prolonged cue-locked P3 latency, decreased target-locked P3 amplitude, prolonged target-locked P3 latency in association with switch costs, and prolonged onset latency of the target-locked lateralized readiness potential in association with the mixing costs. Age-related effects were significant only for cue-locked P3 amplitude, cue-locked P3 latency (switch-related), and target-locked P3 latency (switch-related). These findings suggest that the larger mixing costs and switch costs in older adults were because of the inefficient use of modality cues to update a representation of the relevant task sets and required more processing time for evaluating and categorizing the target.

Elevating employees’ psychological responses and task performance through responsible artificial intelligence

Elevating employees’ psychological responses and task performance through responsible artificial intelligence

Structural Learning in Autistic and Non-Autistic Children: A Replication and Extension.

The hippocampus is involved in many cognitive domains which are difficult for autistic individuals. Our previous study using a Structural Learning task that has been shown to depend on hippocampal functioning found that structural learning is diminished in autistic adults (Ring et al., 2017). The aim of the present study was to examine whether those results can be replicated in and extended to a sample of autistic and non-autistic children. We tested 43 autistic children and 38 non-autistic children with a subsample of 25 autistic and 28 non-autistic children who were well-matched on IQ. The children took part in a Simple Discrimination task which a simpler form of compound learning, and a Structural Learning task. We expected both groups to perform similarly in Simple Discrimination but reduced performance by the autism group on the Structural Learning task, which is what we found in both the well-matched and the non-matched sample. However, contrary to our prediction and the findings from autistic adults in our previous study, autistic children demonstrated a capacity for Structural Learning and showed an overall better performance in the tasks than was seen in earlier studies. We discuss developmental differences in autism as well as the role of executive functions that may have contributed to better than predicted task performance in this study.

Evaluation of forces applied to tissues during robotic-assisted surgical tasks using a novel force feedback technology.

The absence of force feedback (FFB) is considered a technical limitation in robotic-assisted surgery (RAS). This pre-clinical study aims to evaluate the forces applied to tissues using a novel integrated FFB technology, which allows surgeons to sense forces exerted at the instrument tips. Twenty-eight surgeons with varying experience levels employed FFB instruments to perform three robotic-assisted surgical tasks, including retraction, dissection, and suturing, on inanimate or ex-vivo models, while the instrument sensors recorded and conveyed the applied forces to the surgeon hand controllers of the robotic system. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) models were used to analyze the mean and maximal forces applied during each task with the FFB sensor at the "Off" setting compared to the "High" sensitivity setting for retraction and to the "Low", "Medium", and "High" sensitivity settings for dissection and suturing. Sub-analysis was also performed on surgeon experience levels. The use of FFB at any of the sensitivity settings resulted in a significant reduction in both the mean and maximal forces exerted on tissue during all three robotic-assisted surgical tasks (p < 0.0001). The maximal force exerted, potentially associated with tissue damage, was decreased by 36%, 41%, and 55% with the use of FFB at the "High" sensitivity setting while performing retraction, dissection, and interrupted suturing tasks, respectively. Further, the use of FFB resulted in substantial reductions in force variance during the performance of all three types of tasks. In general, reductions in mean and maximal forces were observed among surgeons at all experience levels. The degree of force reduction depends on the sensitivity setting selected and the types of surgical tasks evaluated. Our findings demonstrate that the utilization of FFB technology integrated in the robotic surgical system significantly reduced the forces exerted on tissue during the performance of surgical tasks at all surgeon experience levels. The reduction in the force applied and a consistency of force application achieved with FFB use, could result in decreases in tissue trauma and blood loss, potentially leading to better clinical outcomes in patients undergoing RAS. Future studies will be important to determine the impact of FFB instruments in a live clinical environment.

Employees trust, perceived justice, on task performance: Mediating and moderating role of autonomy and organizational culture

This study explores the impact of trust and perceived justice on task performance within UAE public sector organizations, emphasizing the mediating role of autonomy and the moderating effect of organizational culture. This research was driven by gaps in the current understanding of how individual perceptions of fairness and trust impact practical outcomes in the public sector. Through a survey of 273 public sector employees and structural equation modeling, this study demonstrates how trust and perceived justice significantly enhance task performance, with autonomy serving as a crucial mediator. Organizational culture also plays a complex role in moderating these effects, adding a cultural context layer to the theoretical framework grounded in social exchange theory. This study contributes to this field by providing empirical evidence supporting the enhancement of autonomy and justice perceptions to improve employee performance in the public sector. This contribution is particularly significant as it challenges traditional views on the trust-autonomy relationship and offers new insights into the role of organizational culture. By highlighting these dynamics, this study fills a crucial gap in the literature and also offers a model that can guide future research and practical applications in similar contexts. The findings underscore the necessity of fostering trust and perceived justice within organizations, recommending that leaders focus on enhancing autonomy and carefully consider the influence of organizational culture. This approach promises to improve task performance and employee satisfaction, thereby contributing to a more effective administration and service delivery in the public sector.

Audiovisual speech perception of multilingual learners of Japanese

ABSTRACT Due to the complex nature of languages and the way they are used, it is often difficult to research multilinguals because of the considerable variation in the ways their spoken languages may impact their perceptions. For this reason, foreign language education research has largely been focused on English L2 speakers, overlooking how different languages might impact perception in multilingual speakers. Focusing on Japanese as a Second Language (JSL) learners, this research investigated how multilinguals responded to audiovisual cues in Japanese and English. Utilising web-based eye-tracking technology facilitated by WebGazer.js. Participants were asked to complete a novel phonetic distinction task while their gaze behaviour was measured. Contrary to initial theoretical expectations, the findings did not reveal significant mediation by gaze behaviour on the relationship between multilingualism and task performance. However, the study found that when looking at the duration of fixation on the mouth, there's a significant difference between native English speakers and native speakers of Asian languages when listening to English or Japanese. These findings indicate that further research that explores the nuances of gaze behaviour among multilingual learners of non-English languages (such as Japanese) is necessary.

Changes in forklift driving performance and postures among novices resulting from training using a high-fidelity virtual reality simulator: An exploratory study

Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool for training. Our study focused on training for forklift driving, to address an ongoing worker shortage, and the unknown impact of repeated VR training on task performance and kinematic adaptations. We trained 20 novice participants using a VR forklift simulator over two days, with two trials on each day, and including three different driving lessons of varying difficulties. Driving performance was assessed using task completion time, and we quantified kinematics of the head, shoulder, and lumbar spine. Repeated training reduced task completion time (up to ∼29.8% of initial trial) and decreased both kinematic variability and peak range of motion, though these effects were larger for lessons requiring higher precision than simple driving maneuvers. Our results highlight the potential of VR as an effective training environment for novice drivers and suggest that monitoring kinematics could help track skill acquisition during such training.

Cognitive benefits of higher cardiorespiratory fitness in preadolescent children are associated with increased connectivity within the cingulo-opercular network

Higher cardiorespiratory fitness has been associated with improved cognitive control in preadolescent children, with various studies highlighting related brain health benefits. This cross-sectional study aimed to provide novel insights into the fitness-cognition relationship by investigating task-related changes in effective connectivity within two brain networks involved in cognitive control: the cingulo-opercular and fronto-parietal networks. Twenty-four higher-fit and twenty-four lower-fit preadolescent children completed a modified flanker task that modulated inhibitory control demand while their EEG and task performance were concurrently recorded. Effective connectivity for correct trials in the theta band was estimated using directed transfer function. The results indicate that children with higher fitness levels demonstrated greater connectivity in specific directions within the cingulo-opercular network (average effect size, d = 0.72). Brain-behavior correlations demonstrated a positive association between the majority of these connections and general task accuracy, which was also higher in higher fit children (average correlation coefficient, ρ = 0.34). The findings further support a positive relationship between fitness and cognitive performance in children. EEG findings offer novel insights into the potential brain mechanisms underlying the fitness-cognition relationship. The study suggests that increased task-related connectivity within the cingulo-opercular network may mediate the cognitive benefits associated with higher fitness levels in preadolescent children.

Association between resting-state neurovascular coupling and neural signals as revealed by a combined fMRI and magnetoencephalography (MEG) study in humans.

The Blood Oxygenation Level-Dependent (BOLD) activation reflects hemodynamic events mediated by neurovascular coupling. During task performance, the BOLD hemodynamic response in a relevant area is mainly driven by the high levels of synaptic activity (reflected in local field potentials, LFP) but, in contrast, during a task-free, resting state, the contribution to BOLD of such neural events is small, as expected by the comparatively (to the task state) low level of neural events. Concomitant recording of BOLD and LFP at rest in animal experiments has estimated the neural contribution to BOLD to ~10%. Such experiments have not been performed in humans. As an approximation, we recorded (in the same subject, N = 57 healthy participants) at a task-free, resting state the BOLD signal and, in a different session, the magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signal, which reflects purely neural (synaptic) events. We then calculated the turnover of these signals by computing the successive moment-to-moment difference in the BOLD and MEG time series and retaining the median of the absolute value of the differenced series (TBOLD and TMEG, respectively). A linear regression of normalized TBOLD vs. TMEG revealed that ~30% of TMEG contributes to TBOLD, accounting for 11.3% of the latter's variance. This percentage estimate is close to the ~10% estimate above obtained by direct recordings in animal experiments.

Examining Food-Specific and General Inhibitory Control and Working Memory as Moderators of Relations Between Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Eating Pathology in Adults With Overweight/Obesity: A Preregistered, Cross-Sectional Study.

Empirical research and theory support the interaction of executive functions (e.g., inhibitory control, working memory) and emotion regulation in guiding goal-oriented behavior; however, applications to eating pathology (e.g., binge eating) are limited. Such research is scant with adults with overweight/obesity (AwO/O), a population reporting high levels of binge eating, emotion regulation difficulties, and deficits in inhibitory control and working memory. We tested interactions between emotion regulation and executive functioning in relation to eating pathology in AwO/O while considering stimuli-specific deficits (e.g., food-specific deficits) in behavioral task performance. AwO/O (N = 204; MBMI = 32.11; Mage = 38.30 [SD = 12.16]) completed a preregistered, online study assessing demographics and emotion regulation difficulties (Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale), inhibitory control (go/no-go task, food and general stimuli), working memory (N-Back Task, food and general stimuli), binge eating (Binge Eating Scale), and disordered eating (Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire). There was limited evidence of moderation in models examining food-specific and general inhibitory control and working memory, emotion regulation difficulties, and binge eating. Preliminary support was found for emotion regulation difficulties to be more strongly associated with more disordered eating in AwO/O reporting more food-specific and general working memory deficits. Consistent, positive associations between emotion regulation difficulties and eating pathology were observed. Among adults with AwO/O, emotion regulation difficulties are closely related to eating pathology, regardless of performance on working memory and inhibitory control tasks. Clinicians and researchers working with AwO/O may consider how emotion regulation difficulties and working memory deficits work together to influence disordered eating.

Tracing Success Path: How Individual Agility Influences In-Role Performance and Employability Levels

This study examines the influence of individual agility on in-role performance and employability and examines how employability affects in-role performance. Individual agility, which includes employees’ ability to adapt quickly, learn new things, and respond effectively to change, is considered a key factor in improving job performance and employee attractiveness in the job market. Data were collected through a survey conducted directly with village employees in Gayungan District, Surabaya. A total of 64 employees participated in this study. The collected data were then analyzed using SEM-PLS statistical analysis, which revealed that individual agility significantly improved employability and in-role performance. Individually agile employees can navigate work dynamics more efficiently and proactively, resulting in better task performance. In addition, high employability, which reflects an employee’s ability to remain relevant and attractive to employers through skill development and adaptability, has also been shown to have a positive effect on in-role performance. The results of this study emphasize the importance of organizations in supporting the development of individual agility and employability as a strategy to improve employee performance. By fostering a dynamic environment and providing opportunities for ongoing training, organizations can ensure that employees not only have relevant skills but are also able to contribute to the fullest in their roles. This research provides valuable insights for human resource managers and practitioners when designing effective and sustainable employee development programs.

Embodiment in episodic memory through premotor-hippocampal coupling

Episodic memory (EM) allows us to remember and relive past events and experiences and has been linked to cortical-hippocampal reinstatement of encoding activity. While EM is fundamental to establish a sense of self across time, this claim and its link to the sense of agency (SoA), based on bodily signals, has not been tested experimentally. Using real-time sensorimotor stimulation, immersive virtual reality, and fMRI we manipulated the SoA and report stronger hippocampal reinstatement for scenes encoded under preserved SoA, reflecting recall performance in a recognition task. We link SoA to EM showing that hippocampal reinstatement is coupled with reinstatement in premotor cortex, a key SoA region. We extend these findings in a severe amnesic patient whose memory lacked the normal dependency on the SoA. Premotor-hippocampal coupling in EM describes how a key aspect of the bodily self at encoding is neurally reinstated during the retrieval of past episodes, enabling a sense of self across time.

The effects of low vs. high rating of perceived exertion clamp exercise on performance, neuromuscular, and muscle oxygen saturation responses in females.

This study examined the time course of changes in force, relative to critical force (CF), electromyographic amplitude (EMG AMP), neuromuscular efficiency (NE), and muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2), as well as time to task failure (TTF) and performance fatigability (PF) during isometric handgrip holds to failure (HTF) anchored to the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) at 3 and 7. Ten females completed pre-test maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVICs), submaximal HTF at four percentages of MVIC, an HTF at RPE = 3 and 7, and post-test MVICs. Analyses included paired samples t-tests, repeated measures ANOVAs and planned comparisons. TTF was not different between RPE 3 (540.4 ± 262.1s) and 7 (592.2 ± 299.6s), but PF for RPE 7 (42.1 ± 19.1%) was greater than RPE 3 (33.5 ± 15.4%) (p < 0.05). There were RPE-dependent decreases in force, EMG AMP, and NE across three discernable phases during the HTF (p < 0.01), but there were no significant changes in SmO2 across time. Although there were overall similar patterns across time for force, neuromuscular, and muscle metabolic responses between the RPE holds, the greater PF at RPE 7 than RPE 3 may be explained by the longer sustained time above CF at RPE 7, resulting in greater accumulation of intramuscular metabolites and afferent feedback. Throughout each trial, it is possible that force was adjusted to avoid the sensory tolerance limit, and the task was ended when force could no longer be reduced to maintain the assigned RPE, resulting in a similar TTF for RPE 7 and RPE 3.

Effect of Differentiated Approach to Physical Activity Dosing on Mental Performance of Adolescents

Introduction. The article deals with an innovative approach to the dosing of physical activity taking into account the functional capabilities of adolescents and its impact on the mental performance of students. The aim of the study is to identify the impact of physical activity associated with the manifestation of general endurance on the mental performance of middle school students under different conditions of its dosing. Methodology. The study compares the effect of the load on general endurance without taking into account the physical capabilities of the organism of schoolchildren of grades 5–8 and in accordance with their functional fitness on the indicators of various properties of attention, semantic memory, and logical thinking. Results. The obtained data reflect the percentage ratio of adolescents with improvement, deterioration of mental performance indicators, as well as those in whom no changes were revealed taking into account individual intellectual development. It was revealed that after the differentiated approach, in contrast to the undifferentiated one, the majority of adolescents improved the indicators of attention span, the rate of intellectual tasks performance in the absence of mental efficiency exhaustion, also the number of memorized pairs of words increased, the number of errors in establishing semantic relations in judgments decreased. Conclusion. Differentiated approach to dosing of physical load in comparison with undifferentiated more often promotes improvement of stability and volume of attention, semantic memory and logical thinking of adolescents.

Resting-state EEG data before and after cognitive activity across the adult lifespan and a 5-year follow-up

This dataset consists of 64-channels resting-state EEG recordings of 608 participants aged between 20 and 70 years, 61.8% female, as well as follow-up measurements after approximately 5 years of 208 participants, starting 2021. The EEG was measured for three minutes with eyes open and eyes closed before and after a 2-hour block of cognitive experimental tasks. The data set is part of the Dortmund Vital Study, a prospective study on the determinants of healthy cognitive aging. The dataset can be used for (1) analyzing cross-sectional resting-state EEG of healthy individuals across the adult life span; (2) generating normalization data sets for comparison of resting-state EEG data of patients with clinically relevant disorders; (3) studying effects of performing cognitive tasks on resting-state EEG and age; (4) exploring intra-individual changes in resting-state EEG and effects of task performance over a time period of about 5 years. The data are provided in Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) format and are available on OpenNeuro.

Implementing Autonomous Control in the Digital-Twins-Based Internet of Robotic Things for Remote Patient Monitoring.

Conventional patient monitoring methods require skin-to-skin contact, continuous observation, and long working shifts, causing physical and mental stress for medical professionals. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) assists healthcare workers in monitoring patients distantly using various wearable sensors, reducing stress and infection risk. RPM can be enabled by using the Digital Twins (DTs)-based Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) that merges robotics with the Internet of Things (IoT) and creates a virtual twin (VT) that acquires sensor data from the physical twin (PT) during operation to reflect its behavior. However, manual navigation of PT causes cognitive fatigue for the operator, affecting trust dynamics, satisfaction, and task performance. Also, operating manual systems requires proper training and long-term experience. This research implements autonomous control in the DTs-based IoRT to remotely monitor patients with chronic or contagious diseases. This work extends our previous paper that required the user to manually operate the PT using its VT to collect patient data for medical inspection. The proposed decision-making algorithm enables the PT to autonomously navigate towards the patient's room, collect and transmit health data, and return to the base station while avoiding various obstacles. Rather than manually navigating, the medical personnel direct the PT to a specific target position using the Menu buttons. The medical staff can monitor the PT and the received sensor information in the pre-built virtual environment (VE). Based on the operator's preference, manual control of the PT is also achievable. The experimental outcomes and comparative analysis verify the efficiency of the proposed system.

Effects of Secure Base Leadership vs. Avoidant Leadership on Job Performance

Organizations need high performance from their employees to achieve their goals, provide specialized services and products, and ultimately secure a competitive edge. Performance is also a source of satisfaction for employees, as it creates feelings of mastery and pride. Different leadership styles positively influence both employee performance and organizational excellence; thus, the present study aimed to analyze the relationship between a novel leadership style based on attachment theory, secure base leadership, and job performance (i.e., task and conceptual performance and counterproductive work behaviors). Additionally, a passive-avoidant leadership relationship with performance dimensions is analyzed. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling with self-reported data from 422 Spanish employees, the results show that secure base leadership is positively related to task and contextual performance, while it is negatively related to counterproductive work behaviors. The opposite pattern is found for passive-avoidant leadership (except for the link between passive-avoidant leadership and contextual performance, which is not significant). The promotion of secure base leadership within organizations allows for the cultivation of a supportive environment that favors work behaviors that are aligned with organizational objectives, and since leadership can be trained, these results are relevant for practitioners in organizations.

SP5.11 - The Impact of Total Pelvic Exenteration on Surgeon Fatigue: Is it time we monitor our surgeons?

Abstract Aims Total pelvic exenteration surgery (TPE) is a radical procedure requiring significant surgeon mental and physical stamina. Literature surrounding surgeon fatigue remains minimal. This study investigated impact of performing high complexity TPE on surgeon fatigue. Methods Two surgeons ([#1]/[#2]) delivering high complexity TPEs between 1st November 2022 – 1st September 2023 in a tertiary centre (110/annum) were assessed using a predefined protocol. Surgeon heart rate, concentration performance (d2 Brickencamp test) and Surgery Task Load Index (SURG-TLX) were measured across intraoperative stages (mobilisation, dissection, reconstruction). Surgeons underwent baseline cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Results All-cause mortality rate was 0% at median follow up of 3 (1-11) months. Baseline VO2 max and anaerobic thresholds: #1 = 37.6 mL/kg/min, 50% and #2 = 54.3 mL/kg/min, 70%. Mean error rate (ER): d2 test 1 and 2: #1 = 3.58% [0.91%–8.60%] [SD = 3.16, 95% CI = 0.27 to 6.91], #2 = 4.46% [1.37%–7.23%] [SD = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.79 to 7.14]. Greater HR deviation correlated with higher test 2 ER for both subjects (p&amp;gt;0.05). During dissection, mean HR increased from baseline: mean of 70% [#1] and 51.9% [#2]; max HR 106.7% [#1] and 111.5% [#2]. Subjects demonstrated smaller mean HR increase from baseline during dissection operating together versus with junior trainees (#1 = 46.7% [p&amp;lt; 0.001] and #2 = 48.1% [p&amp;gt;0.05]). SURG-TLX situational stress domain was most impacted. Conclusions Surgeon HR fluctuations corresponded with significant intraoperative events. Assistant dependent HR fluctuation and increased average d2 ER was demonstrated by greater HR deviations during dissection. Further investigation optimising strategies minimising surgeon fatigue is required.

A meta-analysis on the relationship between subjective cognitive failures as measured by thecognitive failures questionnaire (CFQ) and objective performance on executive function tasks.

The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) has been widely used as a measure of subjective cognitive function in everyday life for decades. However, the evidence on how it relates to objective performance on executive function tasks is mixed. One possible reason for these mixed results is that the CFQ has selective relationships with some aspects of executive function and not others. Here, therefore, we classified tasks according to an influential framework of executive functions-switching, updating, inhibition, and we also considered the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) as a category because it was custom designed to gauge cognitive failures. We synthesized a large body of available evidence and performed four Bayesian meta-analyses on the relationship between CFQ scores and objective performance on executive function tasks in these four categories. Results suggested that CFQ scores were associated with objective performance on SART (18 effect sizes, μ = -.19, BF10 = 18.03, i.e., 18.03 times more evidence of a relationship versus no relationship), updating working memory (49 effect sizes, μ = -.06, BF10 = 17.80), and inhibition tasks (41 effect sizes, μ = -.07, BF10 = 15.40), whereas there was not definitive evidence regarding switching (34 effect sizes, μ = -.06, BF10 = .50, i.e., two times greater evidence for no relationship). This suggests that subjective cognitive function can predict objective performance on at least some executive function tasks. We discuss methodological and theoretical factors that constrain the maximum observable correlation and consider the relative insights that subjective measures versus task performance provide.