Brain Activity of Industrial Designers in Constrained and Open Design: The Effect of Gender on Frequency Bands (original) (raw)
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Brain activity in constrained and open design: the effect of gender on frequency bands
Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing
This paper presents results from a design neurocognition study on the effect of gender on EEG frequency band power when performing constrained and open design. We used electroencephalography to measure the brain activity of 84 professional designers. We investigated differences in frequency power associated with gender of 38 female and 46 male designers, while performing two prototypical design tasks. The aim of the study was to explore whether gender moderates brain activity while performing a constrained versus an open design task. Neurophysiological results for aggregate activations across genders and between tasks indicate a main effect of gender for theta, alpha 2, and beta 1 frequency bands. Females show higher theta, alpha 2, and beta 1, namely in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right occipitotemporal cortex, secondary visual cortex, and prefrontal cortex in both tasks. Females show higher beta bands than males, in areas of the left prefrontal cortex, in the constra...
Industrial designers problem-solving and designing: An EEG study
2020
This paper presents results from an experiment to determine brain activation differences between problem-solving and designing of industrial designers. The study adopted and extended the tasks described in a fMRI study of design cognition and measured brain activation using electroencephalography (EEG). By taking advantage of EEG's high temporal resolution we focus on time-related neural responses during problem-solving compared to design tasks. The experiment consists of multiple tasks: problem-solving, basic design and open design using a tangible interface. The tasks are preceded by a familiarizing pre-task and then extended to a fourth open design task using free-hand sketching. The results indicate design cognition differences in the brain measurements of task-related power and temporal analysis of transformed power between the constrained problem-solving task and the open design tasks. Statistical analyses indicate increased brain activation when designing compared to problem-solving. Results of time-related neural responses connected to Brodmann' areas cognitive functions, contribute to a better understanding of industrial designers' cognition in open and constrained design spaces and how the problem statement can constrain or expand conceptual expansion.
Design Science 6 e26, 2022
This paper presents results from an experiment using electroencephalography to measure neurophysiological activations of mechanical engineers and industrial designers when designing and problem-solving. In this study, we adopted and then extended the tasks described in a previous functional magnetic resonance imaging study reported in the literature. The block experiment consists of a sequence of three tasks: problem-solving, basic design and open design using a physical interface. The block is preceded by a familiarizing pre-task and then extended to a fourth open design task using free-hand sketching. This paper presents the neurophysiological results from 36 experimental sessions of mechanical engineers and industrial designers. Results indicate significant differences in activations between the problem-solving and the open design tasks. The paper focuses on the two prototypical tasks of problem-solving layout and open design sketching and presents results for both aggregate and temporal activations across participants within each domain and across domains.
Design Computing and Cognition’20
This paper presents results from an experiment studying differences between designing and problem-solving in professional industrial designers, using EEG to measure neurophysiological activations. We compare neurophysiological activation and frequency bands power between three prototypical tasks, a problem-solving layout task, an open design layout task and an open design free-hand sketching task. The study draws on the neurophysiological results from 18 experiment sessions with professional designers. Results indicate significant differences in activations between the problem-solving task and the design tasks, in terms of aggregate, temporal and frequency bands power across participants. Higher alpha and beta frequency band values play a key role in the open design sketching task when compared to the layout tasks.
Brain activity In constrained and open Design spaces: An Eeg Study
Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Design Creativity (ICDC 2020), 2020
Creativity is recognized as essential for changing the design space from constrained to open spaces. This study compares the neurophysiological activations of 18 professional industrial designers in two prototypical tasks, a problem-solving constrained layout task and an open design task. The analysis focused on measuring the cognitive demand in three stages of designing in constrained and open design spaces, namely: reading, problem-solving/reflection and layout/sketching. Results indicate significant differences in activations between the constrained task and the design task. Significant differences in activations involved in design reading, reflecting and sketching in open design tasks can be found in the left prefrontal cortex, temporal and occipital cortices. In particular, reading open or constrained requests evoked different levels of conceptual expansion prompting designers to change their design space, while reflecting evoked visual imagination and associative reasoning modes and hemispheric differences from problem-solving leading to expanded activation in sketching, which translates in higher activation in the open design task. These results show significantly different brain activations when designing in constrained and open design spaces.
Proceedings of the Design Society: International Conference on Engineering Design, 2019
New tools from neuroscience allow design researchers to explore design neurocognition. By taking the advantage of EEG's temporal resolution we give up spatial resolution to focus on the performance of time-related design tasks. This paper presents results from an experiment using EEG to measure brain activation to study mechanical engineers and architects to compare their design neurocognition. In this study, we adopted and extended the tasks described in a previous fMRI study of design neurocognition reported in the literature. The block experiment consists of a sequence of 3 tasks: problem solving, basic design and open design using a physical interface. The block is preceded by a familiarizing pre-task using the physical interface and then extended to a fourth task using free-hand sketching. Brainwaves were collected from both mechanical engineers and architects. Results comparing 36 mechanical engineers and architects while designing were produced. These results indicate des...
Proceedings of the Design Society: DESIGN Conference, 2020
We present results from an EEG experiment EEG to measure neurophysiological activation to study novice and experienced designers when designing and problem-solving. We adopted and extended the tasks described in a previous fMRI study. The block experiment consists of 3 tasks: problem-solving, basic design, and open layout design. The block is preceded by a familiarizing pre-task and extended to an open design sketching task. Results from 36 sessions of mechanical engineers and industrial designers indicate significant differences in activations between the problem-solving and the design tasks.
Understanding the Design Neurocognition of Mechanical Engineers When Designing and Problem-Solving
Volume 7: 31st International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology
This paper presents results from an experiment to determine brain activation differences between problem-solving and designing of mechanical engineers. The study is part of a research project whose goal is to correlate design cognition with brain behavior across design domains. The study adopted and extended the tasks described in a fMRI study of design cognition and measured brain activation using EEG. By taking the advantage of EEG’s temporal resolution we focus on time-related neural responses during problem-solving compared to design tasks. Statistical analyses indicate increased activation when designing compared to problem-solving. Results of time-related neural responses connected to Brodmann areas cognitive functions, contribute to a better understanding of mechanical engineers’ cognition in open design tasks.
2017
In recent times, neurophysiological measurement methods such as EEG and fMRI are widely used in an Engineering field to study designer’s brain activity during creative thinking. In literature, many researchers reported the synchronization and desynchronization of EEG activity in specific brain cortex during creative thinking. However, we do not find many studies associated to comparison of designer’s brain activity during creativity/non-creativity related task demands. The chief objective of present thesis is to investigate the power of brain activity using EEG comparison between creative and non-creative design task. For psychometric measures of creative thinking, Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) (Torrance, 1966) is widely used. In present thesis, we use modified TTCT according to our experiment requirement. The test was decomposed between creative and non-creative design task. In creative design task, designers were instructed to think creatively whereas in non-creative d...
Exploring the neurological basis of design cognition using brain imaging: some preliminary results
Design Studies, 2009
The paper presents a pilot interdisciplinary research study carried out as a step towards understanding the neurological basis of design thinking. The study involved functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of volunteers while performing design and problem-solving tasks. The findings suggest that design and problem solving involve distinct cognitive functions associated with distinct brain networks. The paper introduces the methodology, presents the findings, and discusses the potential role of brain imaging in design research.