Neuroindices of cognitive workload: Neuroimaging, pupillometric, and event-related potential studies of brain work

This article is a selective theory-driven review that synthesizes recent neuroscience findings concerning mental workload during complex cognition from the perspective of a functional resource theory called 3CAPS, focusing on the concept of capacity utilization. Capacity utilization refers to the proportion of resources that is being consumed in a given time interval in a given cognitive system. This definition integrates the dynamic effects of (a) the computational demand imposed by a task, and (b) the resource supply in an individual that is available to meet that demand. The analysis reveals that the functional relations between capacity utilization and measures of neural activity are similar across three different cognitive systems (language comprehension, visuospatial processing and executive processing). The measures of neural activity include functional neuroimaging, pupillary dilation and event-related potentials. The construct of capacity utilization provides a mapping between a functional architecture of cognition and aspects of its neural implementation.