CHANGES IN COGNITION AND NEUROCOGNITION WHEN THINKING ALOUD DURING DESIGN

Abstract The think-aloud protocol provides researchers an insight into the designer's mental state, but little is understood about how thinking aloud influences design. study presented in this paper sets out to measure cognitive and neurocognitive changes designers when aloud. Engineering students (n=50) were randomly assigned or control group. Students outfitted with a functional near-infrared spectroscopy band. asked design personal entertainment system. group spent significantly less time designing. Their sketches included fewer words. also required more resources left right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). DLPFC often recruited for language processing, involved visual representation problem-solving. faster depletion of may have contributed Thinking cognition neurocognition, these effects are only now becoming apparent. More research adoption neuroscience techniques can help shed light on differences.