Measuring the Cognitive Load on the Soldier

NATO forces face an increasingly complex future battlefield that is becoming more contested andunpredictable. The sophistication of technologies soldiers must use to perceive, understand, and navigatesuch environments is advancing rapidly. The capacity to manage cognitive load will become a rate-limitingfactor in a soldier’s ability to operate effectively in this future battlespace. Solutions aimed at balancingcognitive load to meet the requirements of both the soldier and the mission will rely on validated methods toquantify the cognitive burden of assistive technologies within dynamic, complex, and mobile environments.The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive overview and analysis of available tools andtechniques for assessment of cognitive load in soldier-relevant settings. The report is structured in threeparts. The first part provides the necessary background, including the perspectives of member nations, alongwith a definition of essential terms and concepts. The second part describes the process by which cognitiveload measures were identified and selected for analysis, the analytic approach taken to evaluate the efficacyof each cognitive load measure for dismounted soldier application, and relevant dismounted soldier scenariosto provide meaningful context. The final part of the report examines the practical application of cognitiveload measurement within dismounted soldier scenarios, including how measures of cognitive load canbe used in combination, as well as challenges and caveats for the use of cognitive load measures in diversedismounted soldier contexts. The report is aimed at practitionersand subject matter experts, offeringan integration of current knowledge, as well as decades of combined experience from panel members.The analysis shows that research measuring cognitive load in dynamic real-world settings with high mobilityis limited. Examining the application of cognitive load measures across a set of distinct measurementscenarios revealed that large-scale exercises with high mobility requirements present significant challengesfor existing cognitive load measurement options. However, a consideration of studies conducted in otherdismounted soldier contexts indicates that many physiological, subjective, and performance-based measuresare feasible and effective for cognitive load measurement when mobility is more limited. Similarly, whenoperating indoors with moderate-to-low mobility requirements, most cognitive load measures can be used.It is recommended that practitioners use combinations of physiological, subjective, and performance measuresto provide a more complete and reliable assessment of cognitive load within a given study scenario. However,care should be taken to examine relationships among the cognitive load measures used, as associations,dissociations, and insensitivities will exist and should be identified and interpreted appropriately.Moreover, while there remains a need for measures that are robust to extreme environments and under highmobility conditions, rapid advances in technology are expected to enable more reliable measurement ofcognitive load in mobile soldier domains in the near future. These include both improvements in sensortechnology and data analytics that can leverage artificial intelligence. Research is necessary to continue tovalidate measures of cognitive load within the mobile soldier context and determine how emergingtechnologies can best be integrated into measurement suites.