Publication

Abstract : Reducing a process to its component units underscores scientific research, yet such a pre-occupation with the details of human cognition may mean that the bigger picture is missed. By adopting a global approach to cognitive processing, the current study aimed to identify cortical locations capable of accurately reflecting global cognitive load; that is, overall cognitive processing. Working on the assumption that higher and lower order cognitive processes have limited processing capacity, and that interactions between these processes will have at least an additive effect on performance degradation,results suggested that global cognitive load is measureable in real time using <5 cortical sites. This thus lays the foundation for future research into suitable metrics for accurately measuring degree of global cognitive load at increasingly finer levels.