Evaluation of perceived urgency from single-trial EEG data elicited by upper-body vibration feedback using deep learning.

Journal: Scientific reports
PMID:

Abstract

Notification systems that convey urgency without adding cognitive burden are crucial in human-computer interaction. Haptic feedback systems, particularly those utilizing vibration feedback, have emerged as a compelling solution, capable of providing desirable levels of urgency depending on the application. High-risk applications require an evaluation of the urgency level elicited during critical notifications. Traditional evaluations of perceived urgency rely on subjective self-reporting and performance metrics, which, while useful, are not real-time and can be distracting from the task at hand. In contrast, EEG technology offers a direct, non-intrusive method of assessing the user's cognitive state. Leveraging deep learning, this study introduces a novel approach to evaluate perceived urgency from single-trial EEG data, induced by vibration stimuli on the upper body, utilizing our newly collected urgency-via-vibration dataset. The proposed model combines a 2D convolutional neural network with a temporal convolutional network to capture spatial and temporal EEG features, outperforming several established EEG models. The proposed model achieves an average classification accuracy of 83% through leave-one-subject-out cross-validation across three urgency classes (not urgent, urgent, and very urgent) from a single trial of EEG data. Furthermore, explainability analysis showed that the prefrontal brain region, followed by the central brain region, are the most influential in predicting the urgency level. A follow-up neural statistical analysis revealed an increase in event-related synchronization (ERS) in the theta frequency band (4-7 Hz) with the increased level of urgency, which is associated with high arousal and attention in the neuroscience literature. A limitation of this study is that the proposed model's performance was tested only the urgency-via-vibration dataset, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.

Authors

  • Haneen Alsuradi
    Engineering Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates.
  • Jiacheng Shen
    George R. Brown School of Engineering, Rice University, Houston, USA.
  • Wanjoo Park
    Engineering Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates.
  • Mohamad Eid
    Engineering Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates.