%0 Journal Article
%T Effects of Performance and Task Duration on Mental Workload during Working Memory Task
%J Photonics | An Open Access Journal from MDPI
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics6030094
%X N-back is a working memory (WM) task to study mental workload on the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We assume that the subject¡¯s performance and changes in mental workload over time depends on the length of the experiment. The performance of the participant can change positively due to the participant¡¯s learning process or negatively because of objective mental fatigue and/or sleepiness. In this pilot study, we examined the PFC activation of 23 healthy subjects while they performed an N-back task with two different levels of task difficulty (2-, and 3-back). The hemodynamic responses were analyzed along with the behavioral data (correct answers). A comparison was done between the hemodynamic activation and behavioral data between the two different task levels and between the beginning and end of the 3-back task. Our results show that there is a significant difference between the two task levels, which is due to the difference in task complication. In addition, a significant difference was seen between the beginning and end of the 3-back task in both behavioral data and hemodynamics due to the subject¡¯s learning process throughout the experiment. View Full-Tex
%U https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/6/3/94