On the evening of September 1st, the research group held the 14th session of the "Nan Li Research Group Academic Lectures Series" online. This activity was presided over by Dr. Li Nan, and two guest lecturers, Dr. Fu Hanliang and Dr. Guo Xiaotong, from the Neural Engineering Management Laboratory of Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology were invited to give a keynote report on “the application of cognitive neuroscience experiment methods in the field of engineering management” and “the exploration of applying animal experiments in construction safety management research”, respectively. 25 teachers and students from universities such as Tsinghua University and Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology joined the activity online.
*****Application of cognitive neuroscience experiment methods in the field of engineering management******
Dr. Fu Hanliang delivered a keynote report on the application of neuroscience methods in the field of engineering management, the application of eye movement technology in construction safety, and the application of EEG technology in the field of construction safety.
The report was divided into three parts: In the first part, Dr. Fu first introduced the concept of neural engineering management, “As one of the latest research directions of neuromanagement, neural engineering management is based on interdisciplinary theories such as cognitive neurology, psychology, behavior decision, organizational behavior and engineering management. It involves the use of technologies such as EEG, eye movement, near infrared, VR, AR and applying methods such as experiments, big data (including video analysis) and subjective reporting. It mainly studies the activities of people throughout engineering management, including behavior, psychology, physiology (including health), human-computer interaction, and the main scientific issues of people’s activity pattern in engineering management, in order to realize the ultimate goal of people orientation and meet the growing needs of the people”. Through a series of literature, Dr. Fu reviewed the application of neuroscience methods in the field of construction engineering. Dr Fu also mentioned that eye tracking (ET) and EEG technology are used most widely in the field of construction engineering, while the application of functional near infrared spectrum (fNIRs), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) technology in the field of construction engineering is still at an initial stage.
a. Application and development of neuroscience experiment in construction engineering
b. Application trend of different test indexes in construction engineering
Figure 1 Application of different neuroscience technologies in construction engineering reviewed by Dr. Fu Hanliang
In the second part, Dr. Fu introduced the concept of eye movement experiment, the application status of eye movement experiment in the field of construction engineering, and the research case of eye movement experiment. Dr. Fu first introduced that: the eye tracker is an important eye movement tracking technology, whose principle is to emit a beam of invisible infrared light through the eye tracker. The infrared light will be reflected at the corneas when it is shed on the eyes of experiment participants. Eye movement experiment helps conduct construction safety research related to the risk identification of construction workers. Currently, eye tracking devices such as fixed eye tracker, portable eye tracker and eye tracker mounted on a VR helmet have been applied in the field of construction engineering research. Then, Dr. Fu introduced the application of eye movement experiment in the field of construction engineering based on the mutual influence between people and the public acceptance of 5G base station construction under the COVID-19 pandemic. By collecting eye movement data and questionnaire data, he established a structural equation model of multi-source heterogeneous data, revealing the status quo of public acceptance of the 5G network under the pandemic. This work will help understand the challenges faced by the promotion 5G network under the pandemic.
Figure 2 The public acceptance model of 5G base stations established by Dr. Fu Hanliang under the pandemic
In the third part, Dr. Fu introduced the concept of EEG experiment, the application status of EEG experiment in the field of construction engineering, and the research case of EEG experiment. EEG is the spontaneous, rhythmic and comprehensive electrical activity of brain cells, and EEG helps us understand the cognitive state of construction workers in the construction process. Dr. Fu introduced the application case of EEG experiment with the public attitude towards recycled water. Through the EEG data, the physiological response data of the participants’ attitude towards the reuse of recycled water was collected, and combined with the questionnaire data, the implicit attitude of the public towards the reuse of recycled water was explored, and the real stereotypes of the public and the causes hereof were determined, so as to give suggestions on how to promote the reuse of recycled water.
Figure 3 Experiment flow chart of the study of public attitudes towards recycled water
************Exploration of Applying Animal Experiments in Construction Safety Management Research***********
Dr. Guo Xiaotong delivered a keynote report on the cognitive neuroscience basis of animal experiments and its application in the field of engineering management.
The report is divided into two parts: In the first part, Dr. Guo introduced the advantages of animal behavior experiments in the field of engineering management. There are a kind of scenes that can induce harmful emotions in engineering management experimental research, while animal behavior experiments do not face the ethical restrictions faced by human subjects in the construction of an emotional model. In the second part, Dr. Guo introduced two application cases of animal behavior experiments in the field of engineering management research. The first animal experiment studied the influence of abusive education and reward and punishment mechanisms on the construction safety learning efficiency of construction workers. Results of the experiment showed that abused mice had a lower performance than ordinary mice in the completion accuracy of tasks and the time taken. The performance of ordinary mice under punishment condition was lower than that under the pure reward condition. The study helps us improve the organizational management efficiency of construction workers. The second animal experiment examined the effect of mortality salience on facilitating construction workers to take the initiative to avoid risks. This experiment helps construction workers to improve their safety awareness, enhance their compliance with safety regulations in the construction environment, and reduce construction safety accidents.
Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the main tasks of the animal abuse experiment conducted by Dr. Guo Xiaotong
**************Academic Exchange**************
In the communication session after the reporting, Dr. Fu explained the necessity of eye movement technology in the field of engineering management research and the research value of studying the public acceptance mechanism for different engineering construction projects. In addition, he further explained the conclusions drawn based on the participants’ subjective data and physiological data in the EEG experiment, and explored the mechanism behind the inconsistent conclusions reached based on the subjective data and physiological data. Dr. Guo gave a further introduction to the cognitive neural mechanism behind the animal experiments, and explained the generalizability of the animal biological experiments in the field of construction engineering. After the reports from the two invited lecturers, a discussion session was conducted with the attendees. The teachers and students extensively discussed the issues concerning the research and application of cognitive neuroscience in the field of engineering. The seminar lasted for nearly 140 minutes.
Figure 5 Group photo of some teachers and students attending the lecture
