Neuroergonomics researchers are looking at what can be done to break through the chaos. They are following what happens in our bodies as our attention, executive function, emotions and moods wax and wane. They even assess how our physiological responses change in synchrony with each other.
Academics in this field seek to improve safety areas such as flight, where real-world tragedies can be caused by human error. They use neuroscience approaches to understand the brain at work and why that brain sometimes makes catastrophic errors or omissions, such as not registering a loud and insistent alarm. Once these patterns are known, machines can be used to detect them and work with their human ‘partners’ to offload burdens and prevent bad outcomes.
We need the help because our resources are limited. The human brain is not an infinitely whirring information processor. It’s an organic structure just like an oak tree or a penguin; it has a finite capacity, with access to a finite amount of energy. Our cognitive workload is how much we’re using of those resources to make a decision or get a task done.
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