FUNCTION-SPECIFIC COGNITIVE DYNAMICS IN MANUAL ASSEMBLY: INSIGHTS FROM AN EEG STUDY

Complex object manual assembly involves multiple cognitive processes, including attention, working memory and complex praxis, yet neuroergonomic research has often relied on global mental workload indices, with limited attention to function-specific contributions. This study presents preliminary evidence on the association between electroencephalography (EEG) activity during targeted neuropsychological tasks and performance in realistic assembly tasks.
39 participants (M = 20.5, SD = 1.3, 21 males) performed a battery of cognitive tasks engaging sustained and selective attention, visuospatial learning, planning, and working memory while EEG was recorded. Participants then performed two physical object assembly tasks, with performance indexed by response times (RTs). The tasks differed in complexity and required coordinated perceptual, motor, and executive functions. EEG power in delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma frequency bands was extracted from frontal, fronto-central, parieto-occipital, and temporo-central brain regions and correlated with performance.
Correlational analyses revealed region- and frequency-specific associations. Increased low-frequency activity over anterior and parieto-occipital areas during planning and sustained attention tasks was associated with longer RTs, suggesting higher executive and attentional demands. Alpha activity during attentional and visuospatial tasks positively correlated with RTs across frontal and posterior regions, potentially reflecting regulatory or inhibitory processes. In contrast, higher gamma activity during selective attention and working memory tasks, over frontal and temporo-central regions respectively, was associated with faster performance in the more complex assembly, reflecting more efficient executive and sensorimotor integration.
Although preliminary, these findings suggest that function-specific EEG activity is related to differences in manual assembly performance and may inform future neuroergonomic research.