Exploring construction workers’ brain connectivity during hazard recognition: a cognitive psychology perspective

Abstract

Monitoring brain activity is a novel development for hazard recognition in the construction industry. However, very few empirical studies have investigated the causal connections within the brain. This study aimed to explore the brain connectivity of construction workers during hazard recognition. Electroencephalogram data were collected from construction workers to perform image-based hazard recognition tasks. The Granger causality-based adaptive directed transfer function was used to simulate directed and time-variant information flow across the observed brain activity from the perspective of cognitive psychology. The results suggested a top-down modulation of behavioral goals originating from the dorsal attention network during hazard relocation. The sensory cortex predominantly serves as the information outlet center and interacts extensively with the frontal and visual cortices, reflecting a top-down attention reorientation mechanism for processing threatening stimuli. Our findings of brain effective connectivity supplement new evidence underpinning parallel distributed processing theory for workplace hazard recognition.

Keywords:

• adaptive directed transfer function
• effective connectivity
• hazard recognition
• time-varying brain networks
• construction workplace

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the author, Pin-Chao Liao, upon reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 51878382].