A Bibliometric Analysis of Cognitive Load Sensing Methodologies and Its Applications

Cognitive workload refers to the amount of mental resources a person expends while performing a task or processing information. Recent trends in the field have shown that cognitive load can be estimated through the use of physiological sensing techniques such as electroencephalograms (EEG), eye tracking, and electromyography (EMG). As these technologies are developed to be smaller, faster, smarter, and stronger, it has become more feasible to record physiological measurements in natural user environments and contexts, reducing challenges to generalizability and ecological validity. To gain a better understanding of the field and discuss where it is heading, our team completed a bibliometric analysis on the history, current state, and recent trends in the field of cognitive workload sensing and its applications. A literature review was conducted utilizing leading tables to analyze the most influential papers in the field. Further, an analysis of trends in the field is included to discuss the history of the field and its direction. It is shown that the field is still emerging, with a rapid growth of publications starting at the beginning of the 21st century.