Daring to leave the laboratory: Why operational neuroscience requires a different research strategy
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: In this opinion paper, we highlight why taking neuroscience into complex operational environments requires a different analytical logic from that used in controlled experiments. Laboratory paradigms are powerful because they isolate cognitive processes, repeat conditions and compare averaged responses. Operational work removes much of that control. A critical event may occur only once, several cognitive processes may unfold together, and the meaning of a neural response depends on what the individual or team was doing at that moment. We describe a pragmatic approach developed through our neuroergonomics work. We transform continuous haemodynamic signals into discrete ROI-specific activation events, producing an event-by-ROI activation matrix (Spearfish code). These events are then linked to synchronized video and operational data and compared with expert or desired-performance benchmarks. This approach does not recreate laboratory causality in the field. It provides a structured way to identify when and where potentially meaningful activation occurs and to interpret it against performance and context. We discuss its use for training, cognitive-load mapping, human-centred automation and team workload allocation, while making explicit the limits of the resulting inference.
Author: Jerome I. Rotgans
Language: English
Subfield: Human Factors and Ergonomics
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214144940