Does Task Complexity Matter? Event-Related Potential (ERP) Data Analysis of the Stroop Effect in Relation to Thermal Conditions

Mehri E. Mobaraki-Omoumi; Javeed Kittur; Zahed Siddique

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 27
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47204

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Paper Authors

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Mehri E. Mobaraki-Omoumi University of Oklahoma

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I am a dedicated PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, specializing in the intricate relationship between environmental factors and their influence on the learning and cognition of engineering students. My research employs advanced neuroimaging techniques, particularly Event-Related Potentials (ERPs), to gain a deeper understanding of the cognitive impact of these factors. Building upon a strong academic foundation, which includes a master's degree from the same department, I also hold an MD degree. My lifelong aspiration is to synergize my expertise in both medicine and engineering, aiming to pioneer innovative solutions that address challenges in human health and education through an interdisciplinary engineering pathway.

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Javeed Kittur University of Oklahoma orcid.org/0000-0001-6132-7304

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Dr. Kittur is an Assistant Professor in the Gallogly College of Engineering at The University of Oklahoma. He completed his Ph.D. in Engineering Education Systems and Design program from Arizona State University, 2022. He received a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a Master’s in Power Systems from India in 2011 and 2014, respectively. He has worked with Tata Consultancy Services as an Assistant Systems Engineer from 2011–2012 in India. He has worked as an Assistant Professor (2014–2018) in the department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, KLE Technological University, India. He is a certified IUCEE International Engineering Educator. He was awarded the ’Ing.Paed.IGIP’ title at ICTIEE, 2018. He is serving as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Engineering Education Transformations (JEET).

He is interested in conducting engineering education research, and his interests include student retention in online and in-person engineering courses/programs, data mining and learning analytics in engineering education, broadening student participation in engineering, faculty preparedness in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of learning, and faculty experiences in teaching online courses. He has published papers at several engineering education research conferences and journals. Particularly, his work is published in the International Conference on Transformations in Engineering Education (ICTIEE), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Computer Applications in Engineering Education (CAEE), International Journal of Engineering Education (IJEE), Journal of Engineering Education Transformations (JEET), and IEEE Transactions on Education. He is also serving as a reviewer for a number of conferences and journals focused on engineering education research.

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Zahed Siddique The University of Oklahoma

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Zahed Siddique is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering of University of Oklahoma. His research interest include product family design, advanced material and engineering education. He is interested in

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Abstract

Title: Does task complexity matter? Event-related potential (ERP) data analysis of the Stroop effect in relation to thermal conditions Interference control, encompassing the suppression of goal-irrelevant stimuli and thoughts, is a critical component of cognitive skills, playing an important role in academic success. The Stroop task, a classic measure of interference control, is used to assess executive functioning and attention processing. It is characterized by an increase in response times, known as the Stroop effect, which involves the controlled inhibition of automatic responses to environmental stimuli. Understanding the various factors affecting cognitive abilities is a key focus in diverse research fields, spanning from education to energy. These factors can be human-related or environment-related. One of the environment-related factors is thermal conditions, previously recognized as having an impact on the learning process. While several studies have explored this impact using various approaches, the evaluation of thermal conditions on inhibition control through Event-Related Potential (ERP) data is relatively uncommon. ERPs are time-locked electroencephalogram (EEG) activities associated with specific stimuli. EEG, a noninvasive neuroimaging technique, records changes in neuronal electrical activity via scalp electrodes. EEG signals are analyzed based on parameters such as amplitude, frequency, and electrode position. Previous work in our research group has revealed a significant impact of thermal conditions on response times in complex tasks. While this effect was statistically significant in the incongruent condition of the Stroop task, it was weaker in the incongruent condition of the reverse Stroop task and negligible in all congruent conditions. The complexity of incongruent conditions and the Stroop task is inherently higher than that of congruent and reverse Stroop tasks. The reverse Stroop task involves reading, while the Stroop task requires naming the ink color of a presented color word. Theoretical perspectives, such as the automatic reading word theory, suggest that reading is faster than color detection. In this study, we sought to assess the impact of thermal changes on the ERP component, N200 and N400, and determine whether differences in their negativity could be observed. Ten engineering students from a mechanical engineering department participated in this study. They completed the Stroop and reverse Stroop tasks across three sessions with varying thermal conditions, resulting in a total of 294 data points for each participant. Room temperatures were selected based on standard (ANSI/ASHRAE) guidelines, including 20°C (cool), 24.4°C (neutral), and 26°C (slightly warm). EEG acquisition was conducted using a 24-channel system from mBrainTrain, with synchronization of stimulus presentation achieved through Neurobs Presentation. The study was conducted in a psychometric chamber within the mechanical engineering department facility. Data processing was carried out using EEGlab, a MATLAB plugin, with necessary modifications to evaluate congruent and incongruent conditions, separately. We utilized the maximum negativity of the N200 and N400 as indicators for interference control in prefrontal electrodes. Statistically significant differences in the N200 negativity between incongruent and congruent conditions were observed in the Stroop test at temperatures of 20°C and 26°C. These findings provide additional support for the idea that thermal conditions can potentially influence interference control and suggest that thermal conditions may impact cognitive abilities, especially when tasks are complex.

Citation
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Mobaraki-Omoumi, M. E., & Kittur, J., & Siddique, Z. (2024, June), Does Task Complexity Matter? Event-Related Potential (ERP) Data Analysis of the Stroop Effect in Relation to Thermal Conditions Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47204

TY - CPAPER
AB - Title: Does task complexity matter? Event-related potential (ERP) data analysis of the Stroop effect in relation to thermal conditions
Interference control, encompassing the suppression of goal-irrelevant stimuli and thoughts, is a critical component of cognitive skills, playing an important role in academic success. The Stroop task, a classic measure of interference control, is used to assess executive functioning and attention processing. It is characterized by an increase in response times, known as the Stroop effect, which involves the controlled inhibition of automatic responses to environmental stimuli. Understanding the various factors affecting cognitive abilities is a key focus in diverse research fields, spanning from education to energy. These factors can be human-related or environment-related. One of the environment-related factors is thermal conditions, previously recognized as having an impact on the learning process. While several studies have explored this impact using various approaches, the evaluation of thermal conditions on inhibition control through Event-Related Potential (ERP) data is relatively uncommon.
ERPs are time-locked electroencephalogram (EEG) activities associated with specific stimuli. EEG, a noninvasive neuroimaging technique, records changes in neuronal electrical activity via scalp electrodes. EEG signals are analyzed based on parameters such as amplitude, frequency, and electrode position. Previous work in our research group has revealed a significant impact of thermal conditions on response times in complex tasks. While this effect was statistically significant in the incongruent condition of the Stroop task, it was weaker in the incongruent condition of the reverse Stroop task and negligible in all congruent conditions. The complexity of incongruent conditions and the Stroop task is inherently higher than that of congruent and reverse Stroop tasks. The reverse Stroop task involves reading, while the Stroop task requires naming the ink color of a presented color word. Theoretical perspectives, such as the automatic reading word theory, suggest that reading is faster than color detection.
In this study, we sought to assess the impact of thermal changes on the ERP component, N200 and N400, and determine whether differences in their negativity could be observed. Ten engineering students from a mechanical engineering department participated in this study. They completed the Stroop and reverse Stroop tasks across three sessions with varying thermal conditions, resulting in a total of 294 data points for each participant. Room temperatures were selected based on standard (ANSI/ASHRAE) guidelines, including 20°C (cool), 24.4°C (neutral), and 26°C (slightly warm). EEG acquisition was conducted using a 24-channel system from mBrainTrain, with synchronization of stimulus presentation achieved through Neurobs Presentation. The study was conducted in a psychometric chamber within the mechanical engineering department facility.
Data processing was carried out using EEGlab, a MATLAB plugin, with necessary modifications to evaluate congruent and incongruent conditions, separately. We utilized the maximum negativity of the N200 and N400 as indicators for interference control in prefrontal electrodes. Statistically significant differences in the N200 negativity between incongruent and congruent conditions were observed in the Stroop test at temperatures of 20°C and 26°C. These findings provide additional support for the idea that thermal conditions can potentially influence interference control and suggest that thermal conditions may impact cognitive abilities, especially when tasks are complex.

AU - Mehri E. Mobaraki-Omoumi
AU - Javeed Kittur
AU - Zahed Siddique
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Does Task Complexity Matter? Event-Related Potential (ERP) Data Analysis of the Stroop Effect in Relation to Thermal Conditions
UR - https://peer.asee.org/47204
ER -