Research on Attention Capture by Dynamic Highlighting of Graphical Symbols in Digital Human-Machine Interfaces for Nuclear Power Plants

As the main control rooms of the new generation of nuclear power plants have fully implemented centralized, automated, and precise digital control systems, there is an inherent conflict between the vast amount of digital visual information and the operator’s limited cognitive processing capacity and attentional resources. Based on a survey of current research both domestically and internationally, this paper proposes the use of dynamic highlighting symbols to capture the operator’s attention, making the presentation of information in the digital human-machine interface of nuclear power plants more aligned with human cognitive and behavioral patterns. Psychological behavioral response experiments were conducted to support this proposition. The results indicate that dynamic highlighting symbols can effectively enhance the operator’s search and understanding efficiency, reduce cognitive load, and decrease the risk and likelihood of human errors. This, in turn, contributes to improving operational efficiency and human reliability in nuclear power plant operations.