Abstract
Evidence suggests that ambient workspace illumination dynamics are increasingly associated with cognitive performance in high-vigilance environments. This study investigates whether dynamic blue-depleted lighting regimes in modern control rooms are associated with operator cognitive fatigue and subsequent decision-making performance.
Methods: We collected observational and sensor-based data from 4,200 control room operators aged 22–60 over a six-month period. High-frequency tracking was used to evaluate correlations between dynamic light exposure levels, self-reported mental workload, and tactical decision-making error rates.
Findings: Higher levels of dynamic light exposure correlated with both greater subjective alertness levels and reduced subjective mental workload; in turn, lower mental workload levels related to higher tactical decision-making error rates in routine scenarios due to under-arousal. Additionally, the relationship between light exposure and alertness was more pronounced for night-shift workers than for day-shift workers.
Interpretation: Our findings highlight the critical role of cognitive ergonomics in environmental design. While dynamic lighting can effectively mitigate cognitive fatigue, extremely low mental workload in highly automated environments may paradoxically increase error rates due to hypo-vigilance. These insights are vital for human-systems engineers optimizing control room interfaces and shift schedules.
With reference to the abstract, outline one positive and one negative correlation found by this study.
