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Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing 775
Hasan Ayaz
Lukasz Mazur Editors
Advances in
Neuroergonomics and
Cognitive Engineering
Proceedings of the AHFE 2018
International Conference on
Neuroergonomics and Cognitive
Engineering, July 21–25, 2018, Loews
Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal
Studios, Orlando, Florida USA
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing
Volume 775
Series editor
Janusz Kacprzyk, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
e-mail: kacprzyk@ibspan.waw.pl
The series “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing” contains publications on theory,
applications, and design methods of Intelligent Systems and Intelligent Computing. Virtually all
disciplines such as engineering, natural sciences, computer and information science, ICT, economics,
business, e-commerce, environment, healthcare, life science are covered. The list of topics spans all the
areas of modern intelligent systems and computing such as: computational intelligence, soft computing
including neural networks, fuzzy systems, evolutionary computing and the fusion of these paradigms,
social intelligence, ambient intelligence, computational neuroscience, artificial life, virtual worlds and
society, cognitive science and systems, Perception and Vision, DNA and immune based systems,
self-organizing and adaptive systems, e-Learning and teaching, human-centered and human-centric
computing, recommender systems, intelligent control, robotics and mechatronics including
human-machine teaming, knowledge-based paradigms, learning paradigms, machine ethics, intelligent
data analysis, knowledge management, intelligent agents, intelligent decision making and support,
intelligent network security, trust management, interactive entertainment, Web intelligence and multimedia.
The publications within “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing” are primarily proceedings
of important conferences, symposia and congresses. They cover significant recent developments in the
field, both of a foundational and applicable character. An important characteristic feature of the series is
the short publication time and world-wide distribution. This permits a rapid and broad dissemination of
research results.
Advisory Board
Chairman
Nikhil R. Pal, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India
e-mail: nikhil@isical.ac.in
Members
Rafael Bello Perez, Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas, Santa Clara, Cuba
e-mail: rbellop@uclv.edu.cu
Emilio S. Corchado, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
e-mail: escorchado@usal.es
Hani Hagras, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
e-mail: hani@essex.ac.uk
László T. Kóczy, Széchenyi István University, Győr, Hungary
e-mail: koczy@sze.hu
Vladik Kreinovich, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, USA
e-mail: vladik@utep.edu
Chin-Teng Lin, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
e-mail: ctlin@mail.nctu.edu.tw
Jie Lu, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
e-mail: Jie.Lu@uts.edu.au
Patricia Melin, Tijuana Institute of Technology, Tijuana, Mexico
e-mail: epmelin@hafsamx.org
Nadia Nedjah, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
e-mail: nadia@eng.uerj.br
Ngoc Thanh Nguyen, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
e-mail: Ngoc-Thanh.Nguyen@pwr.edu.pl
Jun Wang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
e-mail: jwang@mae.cuhk.edu.hk
Editors
Advances
in Neuroergonomics
and Cognitive Engineering
Proceedings of the AHFE 2018 International
Conference on Neuroergonomics
and Cognitive Engineering, July 21–25, 2018,
Loews Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Studios,
Orlando, Florida USA
123
Editors
Hasan Ayaz Lukasz Mazur
Drexel University University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Philadelphia, PA, USA Chapel Hill, NC, USA
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer International Publishing AG
part of Springer Nature
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Advances in Human Factors
and Ergonomics 2018
v
vi Advances in Human Factors and Ergonomics 2018
(continued)
Advances in Artificial Intelligence, Software Tareq Z. Ahram
and Systems Engineering
Advances in Human Factors, Sustainable Urban Jerzy Charytonowicz and Christianne
Planning and Infrastructure Falcão
Advances in Physical Ergonomics & Human Ravindra S. Goonetilleke and Waldemar
Factors Karwowski
Advances in Interdisciplinary Practice in WonJoon Chung and Cliff Sungsoo Shin
Industrial Design
Advances in Safety Management and Human Pedro Miguel Ferreira Martins Arezes
Factors
Advances in Social and Occupational Ergonomics Richard H. M. Goossens
Advances in Manufacturing, Production Waldemar Karwowski, Stefan
Management and Process Control Trzcielinski, Beata Mrugalska, Massimo
Di Nicolantonio and Emilio Rossi
Advances in Usability, User Experience Tareq Z. Ahram and Christianne Falcão
and Assistive Technology
Advances in Human Factors in Wearable Tareq Z. Ahram
Technologies and Game Design
Advances in Human Factors in Communication Amic G. Ho
of Design
Preface
This book brings together a wide-ranging set of contributed articles that address
emerging practices and future trends in cognitive engineering and neuroergonomics
—both aim to harmoniously integrate human operator and computational system,
the former through a tighter cognitive fit and the latter a more effective neural fit
with the system. The chapters in this book uncover novel discoveries and com-
municate new understanding and the most recent advances in the areas of workload
and stress, activity theory, human error and risk, and neuroergonomic measures,
cognitive computing as well as associated applications.
The book is organized into six main sections:
Section 1: Cognition and Performance
Section 2: Neurophysiological Sensing
Section 3: Brain—Computer Interfaces
Section 4: Systemic-Structural Activity Theory
Section 5: Cognitive Computing and Internet of Things
Section 6: Cognitive Design
Collectively, the chapters in this book have an overall goal of developing a
deeper understanding of the couplings between external behavioral and internal
mental actions, which can be used to design harmonious work and play environ-
ments that seamlessly integrate human, technical, and social systems.
Each chapter of this book was either reviewed or contributed by members of the
Cognitive and Neuroergonomics Board. For this, our sincere thanks and appreci-
ation to the board members listed below:
H. Adeli, USA
Carryl Baldwin, USA
Gregory Bedny, USA
vii
viii Preface
Neurophysiological Sensing
The Relationship Between Aesthetic Choices, Ratings,
and Eye-Movements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Elif Celikors and Chris R. Sims
xi
xii Contents
Brain-Computer Interfaces
A Proof of Concept that Stroke Patients Can Steer a Robotic
System at Paretic Side with Myo-Electric Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Stijn Verwulgen, Wim Saeys, Lex Biemans, Annelies Goossens,
Gido Grooten, Joris Ketting, Aurélie Van Iseghem, Brecht Vermeesch,
Erik Haring, Kristof Vaes, and Steven Truijen
Implementing the Horizontal Vestibular Ocular Reflex Test While
Using an Eye-Tracker as an Assessment Tool
for Concussions Diagnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Atefeh Katrahmani and Matthew Romoser
Research on the Brain Mechanism of Visual-Audio Interface
Channel Modes Affecting User Cognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Wenqing Xi, Lei Zhou, Huijuan Chen, Jian Ma, and Yueting Chen
How Does the Mobile Phone PPI Design Affect the Visual Acuity
with the Change of Viewing Distance? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Yunhong Zhang, Wei Li, Jinhong Ding, Anqi Jiao, Hongqing Cui,
and Yilin Chen
Cognitive Design
EEG Technology for UX Evaluation: A Multisensory Perspective . . . . . 337
Marieke Van Camp, Muriel De Boeck, Stijn Verwulgen,
and Guido De Bruyne
Study on the Influence Mechanism Between Ordinal Factors
and Cognitive Resource Consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Wenqing Xi, Lei Zhou, Xingyuan Ma, Yuqi Liu, and Huijuan Chen
Wellness in Cognitive Workload - A Conceptual Framework . . . . . . . . 353
Eduarda Pereira, Susana Costa, Nelson Costa, and Pedro Arezes
Supervising SSSEP Experiments with a Bluetooth Android Remote
Control Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
José Rouillard, François Cabestaing, Jean-Marc Vannobel,
and Marie-Hélène Bekaert
Machine Usability Effects on Preferences for Hot Drinks . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
Hongjun Ye, Jan Watson, Amanda Sargent, Hasan Ayaz,
and Rajneesh Suri
Contents xv
1 Introduction
The next generation of Air Traffic Control (ATC) technological is slowly becoming a
reality for controlling the airspace over the United States (U.S.). NextGen as it is called
will modernize the old ATC system in the U.S. by switching it from land-based
technologies to satellite based technologies. The increased gains in efficiency and
safety have tremendous potential. NextGen aircraft technologies will not be interrupted
by signal intervals like previous equipment, but instead will be constant. Pilots will
now receive continuous output on other aircraft, terrain and weather from the more
accurate satellite fed devices. They will be able to fly more direct and efficient routes by
using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) data from the satellites and will no longer
have to rely on a ground system of antiquated Navigation Aides to keep them on
highways in the sky. NextGen will also boast of a better way of keeping track of all
aircraft in airspace through ADSB (Out) technology that continuously puts out the
aircrafts position every second through the use of satellites. This will act as a new form
of transponder to let air traffic controllers and pilots know exactly where other aircraft
are. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has now mandated that all aircraft
flying in the U.S. be equipped with ADSB (Out) equipment by 2020. The goal of this
mandate is make the NextGen system fully functional. In the process of NextGen
becoming fully functional, pilots will have options to use ADSB (In) and Datalink
technologies to enhance their information. ADSB (In) will allow pilots to actually
know where the other participating aircraft are along with being made aware of where
the closest terrain is and how the weather will affect the flight. In addition, Datalink will
allow digitalized text communication in flight. With NextGen imminent starting in
2020, there is currently only an outlook of relief as the skies over the United States are
forecasted to get more crowded over the next 20 years and the current system cannot
handle that forecasted growth. While NextGen is the long awaited ATC infrastructure
for US airspace moving into the future, it is not without some serious questions to be
answered in the area of computer information and automation concerning Nextgen
cockpit technologies. How will these technologies affect both General Aviation and
Commercial pilots flying in the future US airspace?
factors issues that could lead to human error can be seen more clearly. The Hardware
(H)-Liveware (L) and the Environment (E)-Liveware (L) linkages show the original
areas of the computer being introduced in the cockpit. The Software (S)-Liveware (L),
the Liveware (L)-Liveware (L) along with the Environment (E)-Liveware (L) show the
new areas that computers have been introduced into the cockpit in the form of EFB,
Datalink digitalized texting and ADSB (In) communications. The first important
observation made clearly visible in this model is that the computer information and
automation have become interfaces between what used to be direct linkages. In the
evolution of flight, the SHELL interfaces were originally direct linkages to the human
(Liveware (L)) at the center of the SHELL. However, in 2017 version of the SHELL,
the evolution of infused computer technologies in aircraft cockpits has created clear
computer interfaces in each linkage. Another important issue that is seen in the SHELL
Model 2017 is that the new computers (EFB and Datalink) added in the Software (S)-
Liveware (L) and Liveware (L)-Liveware (L) interfaces introduced in the last 15 years
have now made every computer interface concatenated so that they can potentially
overlap with one another. The most important observation in the SHELL Model 2017
is that those interface areas that have been newly created computer interfaces will grow
in use in the Software (S)-Liveware (L)-Liveware (L)-Liveware (L) and the Environ-
ment (E)-Liveware (L) as NextGen becomes more functional in 2020 and beyond.
Fig. 1. The SHELL model 2017 and computer/human factors analysis [1]
As shown in red in Fig. 1, within the Environment (E)-Liveware (L) linkage, the
ADSB (In) will become a much greater tool for pilots in the cockpit as it will give
constant visual updates to the pilots of the whereabouts of other terrain, other aircraft,
6 M. Miller and S. Holley
and weather, all on a small screen built into the ADSB- (In) equipment. With that,
navigation equipment will be linked to continuously updated satellite data to fly precise
inputted automated routes that can also fly around updated weather. To support this the
Software (S)-Liveware (L) linkage will continue to grow in use of the EFB. It is
assumed at this juncture of the FAA’s ADSB (Out) mandate by 2020 that the vast
majority of U.S. pilots both Commercial and in General Aviation will switch to the
efficiency gained from carrying an aviation oriented computerized tablet loaded with
pubs, maps and procedures that will update electronically. As this trend continues to
grow, there will also be another trend of EFBs and similar cockpit computer devices
directly hooking up to cockpit displays in 2020 and beyond. Pilots of NextGen will use
ADSB (In) data along with precision satellite navigation automation to fly with maps
and instrument approach plates that are computer generated from their EFB. Where the
NextGen equipment radically departs from normal aviation operations is in the area of
communications. Where once pilots observed gauges together and discussed the
readings with each other and the crew over cockpit radio, they have slowly changed to
observing digital readouts of similar information over the computer screen. Pilots who
once spoke to maintenance personnel or dispatchers via radio can now communicate
with them via a digitized electronic text format. NextGen in 2020 and beyond will also
favor more communications with ATC through a digitized text format called Datalink.
Although there are many pros and cons as to how much and when Datalink will be
ultimately used in the new ATC system, it has certainly already shown great promise
by being used at selected over-crowded airports in the U.S. for Standardized Departures
and Routing along with IFR Departure Clearances. Regardless of how digitalized
communication evolves in flight within the cockpit or with communications from the
cockpit to the ground, it will surely continue to grow. The growing use of computer
information and automation in U.S. cockpits directly related to NextGen will be
enormous in 2020 and beyond, but it is important at this juncture to note that it will
affect the majority of the U.S. Commercial pilots much differently from their General
Aviation counterparts.
with the addition of ADSB (In) for U.S. Commercial pilots is how to integrate the
ADSB (In) visual display of terrain to work with the GPWS. Similarly, how to inte-
grate the ADSB visual display of other aircraft into using the current TCAS system.
Also important is how to use the ADSB (In) live weather display with the Onboard
Weather Radar system. While the ADSB (In) seems like an immediate great addition of
redundant systems in a visual form to boost safety margins in aviation, at the same time
the three major technologies that ADSB (In) will support take a great deal of training
and crew coordination to use properly. With ADSB (In), new human factors guidelines
will need to be determined for the appropriate use of the ADSB (In) in U.S. commercial
cockpits. In particular how to use ADSB (In) with each system optimally will also need
to be determined. Will a priority still be given to respond to a TCAS alert if there is no
threat observed on the ADSB-in or vice versa? Along with new human factors
guidelines, training will also be imperative to integrate the use of ADSB (In) in sim-
ulators and Crew Resource Management. In the cases of the Software (S)-Liveware
(L) linkage of the SHELL 2017, many companies have already been standardizing and
upgrading their EFB devices for years. Though EFB and its informational software like
maps and approach plates are not FAA mandated NextGen cockpit devices, they are
certainly technologies that have been developing as strong supportive devices for
NextGen flight. As these EFB devices become more powerful and integrate more into
the cockpit displays, they will also call for more standardization and more training from
each U.S. Commercial carrier. The last perspective from Liveware (L)-Liveware
(L) linkage of the SHELL 2017 Model is related to communications and in the increase
use of digitized texting in the cockpit. Many U.S. carriers have already installed
Datalink and have capabilities of digitized texting in the cockpit. For the U.S. Com-
mercial industry this will mean finding a consensus on when and where to use such
digitized texting to communicate safely while at the same time finding where effi-
ciencies and safer operations can be gained without jeopardizing efficient radio com-
munications that already exist. The U.S. Commercial industry and their pilots should be
the benefactor of the NextGen related computer technologies in the cockpit as long as
the appropriate human factors guidelines are set along with the appropriate training for
their integration to avoid human error.
The General Aviator in the U.S. will be affected much differently through the imple-
mentation of NextGen cockpit technologies. Assuming that the ADSB (In) technology
will someday be reasonably affordable, General Aviation enthusiasts will welcome the
safety gains immediately attained by installing the ADSB (In) component in their
cockpit to go with the mandatory ADSB-out component. Unlike their Commercial
Airline counterparts, the vast majority of General Aviation enthusiasts do not have
extra safety equipment in the cockpit to help them with deal with the Environment (E)-
Liveware (L) linkage in the SHELL 2017 Model. In fact, very few General Aviation
8 M. Miller and S. Holley
aircraft in the United States have GPWS, TCAS or Onboard Weather Radar in their
cockpits. Most General Aviators simply are made aware of the terrain by looking at it
or using maps. They keep separation from other aircraft by scanning more outward,
while sometimes working with ATC. For in flight weather, General Aviators use the
forecast and then are expected to use good judgement should the weather deteriorate.
Coming from a standpoint of having nothing to enhance safety, to now having
something that covers all three of the most dangerous parts of the aviation environment
is certainly a great boost for the General Aviator, but this upwelling of new tools for the
General Aviator could come with a human factors penalty. The penalty stems from the
fact that most General Aviators fly single piloted and are not in team trained crews like
their Commercial counterparts. Suddenly installing a magic video box in the form of
ADSB (in) within a General Aviation cockpit will give pilots the visual tools imme-
diately to help them avoid terrain, see other aircraft and work better with the weather,
but this will come at a cost of looking visually more inside instead of having a primary
scan outside. Experienced pilots with terrific scans could become overly focused while
looking at the smaller ADSB (In) screen and less outside the cockpit where their eyes
belong. Training General Aviators on how to integrate the ADSB (In) information into
their flying properly will be ongoing in 2020 and beyond. In the Software (S)-Hard-
ware (H) linkage in the SHELL 2017, General Aviators are not far behind their
commercial counterparts when it comes to EFBs. In fact, companies like Jeppesen have
come up with excellent EFB equipment for General Aviators that is far superior to the
former method of carrying maps and approach plates. This has been a major
enhancement for General Aviators over the past decade. This technology of cockpit
computer information is a tremendous help as long as the General Aviator is able to
operate the EFB device efficiently and not becoming overly focused on it while flying.
Efficient ways of using such EFBs for General Aviators will be the key if they are also
operating ADSB (In) equipment simultaneously. In the Liveware-Liveware (L) linkage
of the SHELL 2017, the General Aviator will be at a disadvantage of being single
piloted and trying to communicate through digitized text messaging while flying at the
same time. Although some advantages could be gained in the form of using digitalized
texting communications for copying taxi instructions, Standard Departures or copying
IFR clearances, the General Aviator will have to exercise extreme caution while
attempting to communicate digitally while taxing or in flight as the same human factors
that have deemed texting dangerous while driving a car could also be at work in a
single piloted aircraft as well. Although the General Aviation pilot will realize gains in
safety and efficiency through NextGen cockpit equipment, without proper human
factors standards and training, the General Aviator being often single piloted could fall
prey to human error caused by NextGen cockpit equipment.
The most important thing any pilot will learn related to situational awareness is to
prioritize to fly the aircraft in safe parameters first, navigate the aircraft second and then
communicate last. Aviate, navigate, communicate is an age old aviation adage that
Beyond 2020 NextGen Compliance 9
keeps pilots safe and alive by prioritizing situational awareness while flying. The first
computers in aircraft aimed to increase situational awareness by helping keep that
‘aviate’ a priority by being directly integrated with the flight controls as depicted in the
SHELL Model 2017 under the Liveware (L)-Liveware (L) linkage. Computers were
added to the Liveware (L)-Environment (E) to help pilots improve their situational
awareness to navigate better, avoid terrain, other aircraft and bad weather in the pro-
cess. This was the older paradigm of using computers inflight to enhance efficiency in
the cockpit and increase situational awareness around the “aviate and navigate’ priority.
The new paradigm introduces more efficient ways to communicate through computer
technologies. In the new millennium cockpit, computer technologies have been
introduced: in the Environment (E)-Liveware (L) linkage though ADSB (In) to com-
municate visually to pilots about terrain, other aircraft and weather, in the Software (S)-
Liveware (L) linkage using EFB to communicate information visually to fly with and in
Liveware (L)-Liveware (L) using Datalink and texting to communicate visually with
digitized written language to others. This new paradigm of computers in the cockpit is
about communicating visually with pilots. Referring back to the old adage of ‘Aviate,
Navigate and Communicate’, the prioritizing situational awareness word of ‘Com-
municate’ was deemed the last priority in keeping overall situational awareness, but
now could suddenly become a higher priority with these new NextGen cockpit com-
puter technologies. Is it possible that ‘Aviate and Navigate” could be affected by these
new paradigm visual communication devices? Could these devices cause visual
communications to sometimes interfere and overwhelm the ‘Aviate and Navigate’
situational awareness priorities?
Figure 2 is a simple Risk Assessment Matrix [2] that exposes the potential for
problems with NextGen computer technologies in U.S. cockpits in 2020 and beyond.
Across the top of the Matrix from right to left shows the slow increase of usage of
computer information and automation in cockpits from 1980 to the 2020 FAA NextGen
mandate and beyond. Once 2020 occurs, so begins the common use of all the new
computer communications devices (ADSB (In), EFB and Datalink) in the cockpit. Due
to cost affordability, the fast growth in these NextGen cockpit technologies will not
happen immediately, but these communications computer tools for the cockpit will
increase in usage beyond 2020 and eventually the sheer numbers of this growth will
increase the probability of the occurrence of a loss of situational awareness related to
Aviate, Navigate and Communicate; especially if human factors standards and training
are not addressed. However, even with a herculean effort of human factors training and
safety campaigning by the FAA, the most critical area of ‘Aviate’ (flying the aircraft
safely) related to situational awareness could be left vulnerable on the left ‘Severity’
side of the Risk Assessment Matrix. This is because the lower priority of ‘Commu-
nicate’ in terms of the NextGen equipment could become visually overwhelming. The
main reason why this should be concerning is because we are at a juncture in using all
these new computerized cockpit tools together while having very little understanding of
how they work with the human mind in flight cognitively.
10 M. Miller and S. Holley
Fig. 2. Risk Assessment Matrix of the loss of situational awareness from the increased use of
computer information and automation in modern cockpits versus (Aviate, Navigate and
Communicate) [2]
Previously discussed was the aspect that text information will replace audio, and that
digitized information will require looking down (inviting other issues), including the
tendency to turn off information feeds to reduce confusion and overload. Some
potential deficiencies in cognitive processing that pilots are likely to encounter when
adopting the new technology and procedures include confusion when interpreting the
digital output, distraction and excessive loading in working memory, and reduced
outward scanning for situational awareness. Since ADSB (Out) will be required in
Airspace Classes A, B, C, and E (above 10,000 feet), services like TIS-B (traffic
information) and FIS-B (flight information) will add to the cognitive processing
requirements for pilots, some of whom may not be familiar with these flight demands.
With regard to ADSB requirements now in effect in Europe, and required in 2020
within the U.S., potential cognitive differences may include latency in communications,
alerts, symbology, colors, selection of traffic by crew, and integrating TCAS alert
symbology. Other concerns [3] illuminate variations in electronic charting, e.g., terrain,
airspace, approach paths, and landing systems. With requirements for digitized infor-
mation and display increasingly mandatory in aircraft, the ability to discern similarities
and differences accurately could present a challenge for some general aviation pilots.
With standardization of display information elusive among manufacturers, this could
well present a problem into the foreseeable future.
Beyond 2020 NextGen Compliance 11
An earlier convention was that humans process information at a set rate, although
later evidence showed the rate varies based on individual skills and type of information
involved. Limited capacity theory suggests a limit to how much information can be
allocated to performance, influenced by task complexity, and the allocation for primary
and secondary tasks. The serial process is sequential, the parallel process provides for
two or more channels operating simultaneously (although independently), and a hybrid
variant that may process serially and in parallel with convergence, but can produce
bottlenecks. In naturally occurring channels for vision or symbols these flow smoothly
in parallel channels. However, where multiple visual signals are moving in the same
channel, capacity is reached more readily and cognitive slowing may result [4]. This
suggests that working memory might take a parallel processing track as opposed to
sequential, which doubles the neural resources required and accelerates onset of
compromised cognitive processing. As the growth in visualized digital data increases
on the flight deck and in cockpits, the susceptibility for such delay in cognitive pro-
cessing increases.
The term multitasking describes performing multiple tasks at once, although the
evidence does not address adequately the issue of how people designate primary and
secondary tasks. This has prompted a concept of task-switching to explain how mul-
titasking is effective. Wickens [5] has determined that performance decrement rests on
whether more than one task is performed simultaneously calling upon the same per-
ceptual, cognitive, and psychomotor resources. Since most tasks are performed in
stages, resources are adequate for demands made, however, an individual’s load
capacity may be reached where a single, large task becomes paramount. This might be
the case where deconfliction decision making takes precedence with a less experienced
operator in the NextGen 2020 environment.
Cain [4] defined mental workload as measures that characterize task performance
relative to operator capability. Earlier views that workload was principally additive,
with demands on undifferentiated resources, has been replaced by the perspective that
information processing comprises multiple resources operating differentially according
to task complexities. The inference of cognitive loading initially was measured by
direct observation of performance and use of rating scales and similar instruments to
gauge decrements in task execution. As psychophysiological measures have entered the
literature in greater emphasis, the point has been made that physiological methods do
not measure imposed load, and instead provide information of individual responses to
load. With less experienced operators entering the ADS-B environment, unaccustomed
cognitive loading may tax some pilots and crewmembers.
Variable capacity theory [6] provides for operator intentions in setting task prior-
ities and expanded channel capacity as workload increases, although fixed limits do not
appear to be reliably predictable. Coping and resilience have been suggested as
explanations for variable capacity and, along with several other proposed explanations
for adaptive responses, have opened the investigation into variable capacities subject to
12 M. Miller and S. Holley
situational relevance and individual states [7]. Fatigue, for instance, has been shown to
reduce speed of output [8]. In high task situations this will be further exacerbated.
A comparison to studies of text messaging brings to bear a directly relevant issue
with digitized cockpit communications. A comparison of heavy truck operation [9] and
aircraft suggests that elevated risk for crash or near-crash increases 2300% over non-
texting operations. Where ADS-B is initiated in single pilot operations, with no second
crew member available, it is prudent to assess the potential for a similar elevated risk
potential. Accompanying elevated risk invites increased anxiety, which increases
attention to threat-related stimuli that can arise from confusion while attempting to
comprehend the ADS-B information for less experienced pilots [10]. Recognition
primed decision making applies where a learned optimal response has been successfully
employed (often in emergencies) and can quickly be evaluated to meet a situation [11].
In such events, very experienced operators who regularly rehearse emergency events
can evaluate a situation more rapidly with coherence and have the benefit of RPD, where
general aviation pilots might be less able to develop a comparable level of skill.
Essentially, the adoption of ADS-B introduces several added degrees of freedom in
cognitive processes as a result of NextGen procedures [12]. When considering
Wickens’ [5] concept for rearrangement of cognitive channels, where variable upper
limits exist, the potential for elasticity is enhanced. In the case of general aviation
pilots, however, not acquiring the associated task selection and sequencing skills
actually reduces the degrees of freedom and invites potentially catastrophic outcomes.
With added ATM and ADS-B requirements, general aviation pilots are more likely to
reach a fixed upper limit of channel capacity and resulting notable decline in perfor-
mance. A further consideration is the difficulty when bifurcation becomes imminent, as
with a critical decision point. The influence of ensuing instability in cognitive processes
suggests that pilots with high or excessive cognitive loading may alter a behavior
pattern that could set into action an undesired sequence of events.
Further study of potential areas for concern in meeting the NextGen 2020 envi-
ronment is needed. Task performance is situationally dependent, however, changes and
response time are normally generalizable. A minus is that analysis may not indicate the
unobserved part of the process. Still unresolved is the issue of whether mental work-
load is a scalar or vector quantity, particularly in regard to predictive modeling. As a
scalar measure, cognitive loading is approached as a one-dimensional measurement
(magnitude) of a single quantity. A vector approach, on the other hand, can have two
measures (e.g., magnitude and direction) associated with a quantity. The relevance to
cognitive workload is in determining relationships among vector measures and sub-
sequent reliability and validity for prediction of cognitive processing and behaviors [4].
The effect is somewhat obvious when considering the added cognitive loading for
NextGen 2020 ADS-B and allied demands for new or less experienced pilots.
Operators with poor understanding of a situation are prone to errors. Where this is
attributable to lack of awareness rather than proficiency failure, a question of cognitive
ability has been investigated. Working memory and spatial memory have been areas of
special interest, along with cognitive style characteristics [13]. With added cognitive
load, this could precipitate earlier onset of fatigue, which is reflected in the CUSP
model, described operationally as a decrement in work capacity over time. With added
cognitive workload associated with NextGen 2020, fatigue occurs earlier and memory
Beyond 2020 NextGen Compliance 13
and perception are the first to degrade [14]. This can be illustrated with the com-
plexities the general aviation pilot might encounter when ADSB (In) becomes a
requirement. The U.S. FAA has mapped this system and complexities in Advisory
Circular 172-B.
In summary, the growing optical and cognitive workloads for pilots in a digitized
environment, represented in SHELL Model 2017, will likely be challenged further with
implementation of NextGen 2020 and ADS-B. That, and increasing use of electronic
flight bags, accelerates risk of cognitive overload, confusion, fatigue, and loss of sit-
uational awareness. Regulators, manufacturers, operators, and pilots might take notice
of these impending threats and address them in upgraded training and procedures.
References
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analysis. In: Presentation to FAA Aviation Safety Conference, Honolulu (2016)
2. Miller, M.D.: Human Factors Computer Information/Automation Beyond 2020 NextGen
Compliance: Risk Assessment Matrix of Situational Awareness (Cockpit Computer Use
versus Aviate, Navigate, Communicate). Presentation to FAA Aviation Safety Conference,
Honolulu (2017)
3. Chandra, D.C., Kendra, A.: Review of safety reports involving electronic flight bags. U.S.
Department of Transportation, Report Number DOT-VNTSC-FAA-10-08, Washington DC
(2010)
4. Cain, B: A Review of the Mental Workload Literature. Defense Research and Development
Toronto (Canada) Conference Paper Number RTO-TR-HFM-121-Part II (2007)
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6. Ralph, J., Gray, W.D., Schoelles, M.J.: Squeezing the balloon: analyzing the unpredictable
effects of cognitive overload. In: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics
Society, vol. 54, pp. 299–303. Sage, New York (2010)
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individual differences in stress and coping. Theor. Issues Ergon. Sci. 10, 417–443 (2009)
8. Lorist, M.M., Faber, L.G.: Consideration of the influence of mental fatigue on controlled and
automatic cognitive processes. In: Ackerman, P. (ed.) Cognitive Fatigue, pp. 105–126.
American Psychological Association, Washington, DC (2011)
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(2011)
10. Eysenck, M., Derakshan, N., Santos, R., Calvo, M.: Anxiety and cognitive performance:
attentional control theory. Emotion 7(2), 336–353 (2007)
11. Bond, S., Cooper, S.: Modeling emergency decisions: recognition-primed decision making.
J. Clinical Nursing 15, 1023–1032 (2006)
12. Hollis, J., Kloos, H., Van Orden, G.C.: Origins of order in cognitive activity. In: Guastello,
S.J., Koopmans, M., Pincus, D. (eds.) Chaos and Complexity in Psychology: The Theory of
Nonlinear Dynamical Systems, pp. 206–241. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
(2009)
13. Durso, F.T., Sethumadhavan, A.: Situation awareness: understanding dynamic environ-
ments. Hum. Factors 18, 15–26 (2008)
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Psychol. Sci. 20, 240–245 (2011)
Use of Dry Electrode Electroencephalography
(EEG) to Monitor Pilot Workload
and Distraction Based on P300 Responses
to an Auditory Oddball Task
Abstract. This study aims to examine whether dry electrode EEG can detect
and show changes in the P300, in a movement and noise polluted flight simu-
lator environment with a view to using it for workload and distraction moni-
toring. Twenty participants completed take-off, cruise and landing flight phases
in a flight simulator alongside an auditory oddball task. Dry EEG sensors
monitored the participants’ brain activity throughout the task and P300
responses were extracted from the resulting data. Results show that dry EEG can
extract P300 responses as participants register oddball tone stimuli. The method
can indicate workload for each condition based on the outputs from the EEG
electrodes; landing (M = 287.5) and take-off (M = 484.6) procedures were
more difficult than cruising (M = 636.6). With the differences between cruising
and landing being statistically significant (p = .001). Outcomes correlate with
participant NASA-TLX scores of workload that report landing to be the most
difficult.
1 Introduction
stimulus detection and attention. When recorded by EEG, the P300 (sometimes referred
to as P3 or P3b in literature) surfaces as a positive deflection in voltage with a latency
of roughly 250 to 500 ms (Fig. 1) [3].
Fig. 1. An image of a P300 response to an unexpected stimuli (image from Waryasz 2017 [4])
The sphinx, one of the first symbols known to man, demands that we
solve its riddle—which is Life, not Death. The Egyptian sphinxes with
their human heads face the West. The mastodon-headed sphinxes of
Mexico face the East. Will future research unearth the evidence
necessary to locate the sunken Atlantis lying between these two
avenues of sphinxes, and thus reveal the origin of man? Did the
primitive races evolve similar civilization separately, or were they all
from one source? Perhaps the answer to this, is the solution of the
enigma.
Akaza, meaning “God within thee” was the hierophant, prophet
and high-priest of the Brotherhood of the White Star, which had its
origin in Atlantis. His was an equilibrated, evenly balanced mind and
nature. As an initiate he knew all that transpired on the subjective as
well as on the positive planes of consciousness. He was always a
disturbing element on the shallow, false and artificial side of life. He
cared nothing for consequences. A natural wanderer on the face of
the earth, Akaza was in his element when it came time for him to
lead Yermah’s band away from the doomed island.
Akaza was waiting for Yermah this Monday morning, or Moon’s
day. He stood at the entrance of a cave extending well back under
Sutro Heights. It was called Ingharep at that time, and marked the
orbit of Uranus—from the center of Tlamco—the planet which was
correlated to Akaza’s life.
In the time of our story the water’s edge did not extend inside Seal
Rocks. A careful inspection at low tide to-day will lead to the
discovery of the cave still tunneled back under the Cliff House
foundation.
The Indians never fail to locate a cavern. Where one is suspected,
they wait until after sunset on a windy day. Then they lie down over
the supposed cave, and with an ear pressed close to the ground,
listen attentively for the roar, such as is heard in a sea-shell. If once
this roar is heard, they refuse to search further, experience teaching
them that they have found the right spot. Such was the method
employed in discovering Ingharep.
Akaza, the hierophant, was an interesting part of the picture as he
stood at the mouth of this cavern. The white robe which he wore was
made of paca wool, stiff and lustrous as silk, but thick and warm. It
was embroidered with five-pointed and six-pointed silver stars,
having diamonds in the center. On his thumb was a silver signet-
ring. He wore bracelets of the same metal. At his waist was a sash of
yellow silk, with double-key pattern outlined in silver. Over his
shoulders was a purple cloth mantle, trimmed with a coarse blue
tracery in lace pattern.
The mouth of the cave faced due west, thus enabling Akaza to see
the last glimmerings of daylight go out as the sun dropped,
apparently, into the ocean or was swallowed up in the vaporous
clouds or fog-banks each day. For many months Akaza had watched
this process, and, since his return from the Yo-Semite, he had busied
himself incessantly with astronomical calculations.
“Pause here a moment,” he said to Yermah, after a hearty greeting.
“One of the grandest symbols in nature stretches out before thee.
Primordial substance is always represented by water flowing out of
naught, or nothing.”
He pointed toward the wide Pacific and looked at Yermah with a
rapt expression. “As it flows, it gradually solidifies into mind, just as
the earth was molten and then became solid.”
Yermah stood inhaling the stiffening sea-breeze, and watching the
waves cresting shoreward in ceaseless motion.
“These waves scudding before the wind are exactly like our
thoughts driven to a given point by force of will. It is to give further
instruction on this matter of a fully controlled will that I have asked
thee to give me attention to-day,” continued the old man, as he led
the way into the cavern.
There were swinging lamps, and a wide, open fireplace, so
constructed that the smoke was emitted through a pointed-arch
opening. With the charcoal fire and the swinging lamps, the interior
was made quite comfortable. The stalactites, white and frosted, or
discolored here and there from natural causes, made the walls and
ceilings beautiful. Where an opening suggested partition, blankets,
rugs and tapestries had been hung, and over the sanded floor were
rush and grass mats in profusion.
Around to the north, where the rocks still stand, the seals barked
and roared as they do now, while the same species of birds came and
went.
An ingeniously arranged partial closing of heavy boards screened
the occupants from the wind, but did not exclude the sunlight and
fresh air.
“This eight-spoked wheel represents the life of an initiate,” said
Akaza.
A round inlaid ivory wheel, supported by a porcelain tripod, was
indicated. On its outer edge were the signs of the zodiac, chased in
black, with a mother-of-pearl inlaying to indicate the spokes. A
rough-edged parchment lay in the center, and Yermah’s quick eye
saw that it was an orrery question, pertaining to Atlantis, drawn in
colors.
“We are not to examine the horoscope at present,” explained
Akaza, following Yermah’s gaze. “I brought thee in here to make sure
of fire and the needs of the inner man. Now that they are secure, we
shall devote the morning to the beach.”
He occupied himself for a few moments with the baskets of food,
done up with paper napery, ready for the ever-present chafing-dish
and samovar. He banked the fire so that it would smolder without
dying out, and then the two men went slowly toward the beach where
old ocean came in uproariously, and sullenly ground its white teeth
on the sands.
Yermah considerately took the ocean side, so as to protect Akaza
as much as possible from the cool wind. He drew a thin, bony hand
up under his cloak and clasped it close to his side with the upper
arm.
They were an interesting study—these two men. One the perfect
embodiment of physical health and strength; the other, feeble in
body, but a veritable giant of spiritual force.
The one man stood absolutely apart from temporal things; the
other was just beginning to live on the sensuous, or material plane.
As they walked they left odd-looking wet tracks behind them.
“Thou knowest already,” said Akaza, “that thou hast successfully
performed seven of the great labors in the self-development of Osiris.
Now thou standest face to face with that which hinders; and it is
necessary that I should explain to thee the purport of this eighth
labor.”
“Is there something about it which I do not understand?” asked
Yermah, in a surprised tone. “I have but to find the treasure hidden
in the rocks, and then I am ready to return home. I have learned to
fashion the gold which is to tip the spires of my temple, and when
this is done I shall demand release from my vow. As soon as the
Brotherhood receives me, I am free.” Then, with a slight hesitation in
manner and speech—“I have already decided what I shall do with my
freedom.”
While he was speaking, Akaza moved and breathed like a person in
pain.
“What I must explain to thee is the duality of thine own nature,” he
went on, turning sadly toward Yermah, “the dual aspect of the labor
thou hast already performed, and what thou must do in the future.
First, then, Osiris is thyself—the I-am-I principle within thee, which
is the same first, last, and all the time. Thy labor is the finding of the
Perfect Way. Love is the consummation, and Wisdom is the way.”
“What wouldst thou have me do?” asked Yermah, eagerly.
“First, I would have thee realize the transitory nature of life, and
its desires, not on the intellectual plane, but as a fact in nature. The
body, scientifically considered, is not the same through the whole
life. Neither does the mind remain the same. Man’s ability to look at
his own desires and feelings impersonally is the beginning of
Wisdom. No man can extricate himself from the result of his own
deeds.”
“Give me to know this mystery.”
“To bind the sweet influence of the Pleiades is the opposite of
loosing the belt of Orion,” answered Akaza.
“It has not been granted me to know the significance of either,”
responded Yermah, humbly.
“Alcyone, the central sun around which the spiral galaxy of the
firmament encompassed in the Milky Way, and all the stars, suns
and planets included in that circle, are revolving in the only one of
the seven sisters whose love is mortal. From out that center issues
evermore a ray of the divine creative spirit, coalescing into the life of
animate nature here.
“The adept gathers the component parts of that incomprehensible
being—man—to his divine center,” Akaza continued. “He wills them
into the being of another, and that other becomes the mother of a
son, given from the depths of space. Such a son art thou, Yermah.”
“And thou art in very truth my father?” asked Yermah,
wonderingly.
“Yes. For this cause am I in the flesh, and for this, also, must I
remain in the body, until thou art restored to the Brotherhood. I am
the hierophant, the second in power in our order. So it was granted
to me to create an entity which should rule the future as Atlantis
rules the present.”
“Tell me all of my beginning. How and why this should be. Thou
wert an old man when I was born; and thou art a vowed celibate?”
“Swear by Him who made us that thou wilt not reveal what I am
about to unfold.”
He held up a six-pointed diamond star which blazed on his bosom
for the Dorado to kiss, as they stood facing each other. As Yermah’s
lips touched the center, he turned to the east, and, with both hands
clasped over his head, said solemnly:
“I swear.”
“A priest of our order, under the same tutelage as Orondo, was thy
literal father, while thy mother was a vestal selected from the Temple
of Venus. Thy great-grandfather, grandfather and father were of the
priesthood, and their wives were selected vestals. To the prophet,
hierophant and high-priest was the divine self confided, and we were
pledged to produce a ruler for this generation. We willed the
conditions which gave thee birth and I must share thy joys and
sorrows until such time as the Brotherhood releases me.”
“Then I am not of royal lineage—am not the son of Poseidon,
Servitor of Atlantis?” There was pain and disappointment in
Yermah’s voice.
“Thou art royal in the highest and best sense. Thou art
immaculately conceived, as is the sun by the cosmic virgin, when he
has been standing still in Capricornus. It is said everywhere that a
dewdrop fell on thy virgin mother’s bosom, as she lay asleep in a
sacred grove. Such was thy beginning.”
“Then he to whom I have rendered obedience is not in any sense
my father?”
“No. Thou art a veritable sun-god, destined to be thrice born in
this life.”
“Oh! Akaza, why speakest thou in riddles? Thrice born, indeed!
How is it possible without death and rebirth?”
Akaza smiled at his impatience.
“I charged thee in the beginning to remember that there is a dual
meaning to all labors that a candidate for the initiation must
perform. Thou hast already had two births in this body, and art
facing the third.”
Yermah could not conceal his astonishment.
“The first birth was at twelve years and six months, when the sex
principle began to assert itself. This acme of sensuous existence
culminates at twenty-five years, when intellect has its birth and the
mind becomes capable of reasoning. Before that time sensation and
instinct have served for individual thought. The new rate of vibration
set in motion at the birth of desire is the beginning of discord in the
personality. Many times before intellect can assert itself the impetus
for a plunge to the downward spiral is overwhelmingly strong.”
“What, then, befalls the divine self?”
“On the material plane it is the brutalizing process which prevents
the divine self from contacting the physical. When this happens the
man has really lost his soul. Saturn is the planet correlated to the
finding of the Perfect Way. It is the mill of the gods, which grinds out
the imperfections of human nature. The three phases of immaculate
conception are closely allied to the three re-births which take place in
the physical man.”
“Eagerness to master this hidden knowledge proves the quality of
fellowship,” said Yermah, anxious that Akaza should go fully into
details.
“The twelve markings of the zodiac contain the arcane wisdom of
our order.”
Before Yermah could frame a suitable answer to fit in the pause,
Akaza continued:
“The Ineffable One is a trinity of Necessity, Freedom and Love. An
ideal is the result of necessity, and all our ideal conceptions are the
outcome of our absolute need. It is in the achievement of freedom
that the divine within us labors, and on this is based love. Life is the
great vineyard of the father, and all his children must toil in it until
the end. When in the process of regeneration man is so far perfected
as to see the mysterious beauty of his being, he knows that the trials
and labors imposed upon him by the laws of cause and effect are at
once a necessity and a blessing, and he will no longer seek to escape
them.
“There is constant warfare between Desire and Intelligence,” the
hierophant continued. “Why must thou struggle to overcome?
Because the only difference between an imbecile and a genius is the
ability of the spirit or divine self to function on the physical plane of
the genius and its utter inability to influence the fool. Thine own
conduct in this life determines which of these extremes thou wilt
become in the next. Atavism and heredity intensify these tendencies;
so does the influence of the planets. But neither the one nor the other
can produce them. Thou must do this by the exercise of will power.
The union of desire and mind forms the personality. Each attribute is
triple—active, passive and equilibrated.”
After a slight pause, Akaza went on:
“Thou must wield each triad into a unity. This is real initiation—
the consummation of perfect harmony. Thou hast long since gone
beyond the reach of impure thoughts emanating from the five sub-
human orders of creation. When impure characteristics are removed
the first labor is performed. Thy studies and all knowledge received
is the second labor, because it prepared thee for esoteric science.
“The power of thought,” continued Akaza, “if rightly used, enables
a man to transcend creation. Misused, it will cause him to retrograde
into the condition where self is the great object of existence, and the
appetites of the body are the only deities to whom he sacrifices. For
such beings the uprisings of knowledge (the wiles of Circe) glitter
with fascinating light, because further knowledge will enable them to
minister to their desires. This, my son, is a dangerous situation for an
immortal soul. What was intended as a blessing becomes a curse.”
“Have I transgressed in this respect?”
“No. Thou art safe on that point.”
Knowledge is Circe in Greek—Serket in Egyptian. It is the
enchantress, whose realm may be enjoyed by those who know the
herb “Moly.” This word comes from the same root as the Latin Molo,
and the Swedish Mjoll, to grind, indicating the process of grinding
out human passions. It gives the Norse Mjolner, the hammer of Thor,
or Will.
The same meaning is implied in the weapon used by Kanza in
killing the infants of Desire.
“The abuse of this quality is what brings trouble to our
countrymen,” said Akaza. “Atlantis is a hotbed of black magic; that
is, inverted wisdom. And they must suffer for it. Setos and Rahula
are the only devotees of this school we have with us.”
“Why didst thou bring them?”
“It was necessary—for thy sake—my beloved. In the performance
of the third labor the first hour of the day begins; the two preceding
labors being only the dawn of partial wisdom. As knowledge is the
fruition of Will—the principle of the second hour of dawn—so Love is
the purpose of the Divine Creator. This purpose must subdue its
antithesis—the lust for material power and gain.”
“If the material body is not kept in a healthy condition, the spirit
and the soul cannot be perfected,” continued Akaza.
“This is not a fault of mine,” returned Yermah, with a touch of
pride.
“Thou hast guarded the temple well. The sun never shone on a
more perfect physical type. The fifth labor,” the hierophant went on,
“is equilibrated Will—the caduceus which our order carries and uses
as a wand. It is a spear in the hands of an adept, who compels all
secrets and who knows all things. It can be developed only by
temperance and moderation. It is an unlimited power for good or evil
which thou holdest in thy possession. In thy body it is the solar
plexus or brain of the stomach. The twelve plexi around it are the full
gamut of physical and spiritual desire. Here thou couldst use thy
knowledge with great harm to thy fellows, and more to thyself.”
“But why should I?”
“For no reason, unless it be to gratify some wish lying near thy
heart. We neither act nor speak, much less decide a question
concerning ourselves, except we have a motive.”
“My motive is simple enough. Thou hast told me that love is the
first triad. I love with all my heart.”
“No need of words to assure me of this. I have foreseen it from the
first.”
“And thou hast not opposed me? Then thou wilt favor it?” The
Dorado was as impulsive as a boy.
“I will not oppose it. The great secret of initiation lies in the
magnetic warmth of love. It is a threefold principle, the lowest phase
of which is sex love. This is the poetry of sensation. It pertains to the
material nature, and is therefore impermanent.”
“Oh, Akaza! How canst thou say that my love for Kerœcia will pass
away. I feel that it never can.”
“In the sense of feeling, it certainly will not endure. But this phase
of love has three parts. We reach divinity on its upper plane, because
it becomes transmuted from animal desire to a soul influx. This will
come as a benediction to sweeten the very fountain-head of thy
individuality.”
“Then I was right in claiming mine own. I have not broken my
vow, even in thought,” responded Yermah hopefully.
“But thou wilt. In so much as thou wilt imperil immortality thou
must suffer. Be of good cheer. Whatever pain may come will soon
pass. Nothing of the real love and union between thee will ever cease
to be.”
“The seventh labor,” Akaza continued, after a thoughtful pause, “is
the slaying of the vampire of procrastination—the temptation to halt
in the path of duty. Thou wilt naturally think thy work completed
when thou art allowed to return to Atlantis.”
“Why not?”
“Thou wilt not return to Poseidon’s kingdom for many days.
Atlantis is doomed.”
“Akaza, what art thou saying?” In his excitement Yermah shook
the hierophant’s arm vigorously.
“Thou art forbidden to give to others what thou hast learned. The
world needs thee more than thou canst imagine. Thou art now facing
the eighth labor of initiation.”
“I know this. But is it not true that I shall tip the spires of the
temple building? Must I not do this with mine own hands?”
“Thou must subjugate all internal and external hindrances first.”
“What is that, if not what I have already mentioned? Was it not so
from the beginning? In each colony visited have I not obeyed the
laws? This year finishes my sojourn away from Atlantis. Thou wilt
remember that I am to have my wish when the last labor has been
completed.”
“So thou shalt.”
“Then I shall have Kerœcia for my wife, and live in peace.”
“Thou wilt neither espouse Kerœcia nor live in peace. Marriage to
thee is forbidden. Only the commonplace mortal is content to
vegetate, procreate and perish.” Then after a pause, he added: “Thine
is not only race condition, Yermah, but before thou wert born, the
Brotherhood decreed it for thee.”
“Thou—thou durst tell this to me, the future Servitor of Atlantis
and all her dependencies! Out upon thee and thy Brotherhood! I will
not submit to thy decrees! Thou—thou hast made me believe in thy
love. Is this the language of consideration? The Brotherhood
demands all that I value in life! Thou sayest that I have not failed so
far. Be assured that I shall succeed finally.”
“Thou hast already developed the feminine principle within thee
and hast assumed the flowing locks and robe, so that thy fellows may
know thou art fit to lead them. My personal tutorship goes no
farther. Thy future is distinctly in thine own hands, Yermah.” Akaza
gave a soft reply, and his rash hot-headed companion was mollified.
“Give thy tongue full license, Akaza. What does the Brotherhood
require of its fellows?” Yermah was still the master of Tlamco. His
tone and manner betrayed it.
“Absolute freedom must be achieved before the candidate can
enter the Gates of Light.” Akaza was quiet, but firm.
“Freedom from what?”
“From the enslavement of Desire. Man’s perverted love nature is
the great stumbling block.”
Yermah’s face was aflame in an instant. He was furiously angry. He
turned toward Akaza with a threatening gesture, while his
resentment was at flood tide. Then his arm fell aimlessly to his side.
He realized that it was shocking to quarrel with his preceptor—his
spiritual father—the man who had unselfishly followed him from one
colony to another for the past seven years.
The Dorado held his tongue, but with an impetuous fling of the
cloak over his shoulder, he abruptly left the hierophant.
They were on the beach opposite the present lifesaving station, and
were coming back to the cave. With swift, swinging strides Yermah
turned toward Tlamco, and was soon headed for the western gate of
its walled enclosure.
“I am not to make my love self-identifying,” he muttered savagely.
“Am I, then, to love my ideal without desire for possession? He asks
what I can not do. I should be no part of a man if I could submit like
this! No! A thousand times—no!—I have tasted the wine of life on her
sweet lips!—She shall claim a king’s ransom in return!—And this, he
says, will imperil my soul!—So be it!—This is what love means to
me!”
There was that in Yermah which would brook no interference.
Docility and obedience, both his habit and inclination, were routed
completely by the whirlwind of resentment having control of him.
Self made a strong rally, and, for a time, he was intoxicated with the
idea of defying Akaza. He gloried in his ability to think and to act for
himself. It was his happiness, his love, and in the future he would do
as he pleased. This was instinct deeper than reason; not conscious
lust nor sensuality—for he mentally idealized Kerœcia.
This quality was the same which arouses an animal similarly
thwarted to the highest pitch of ferocity. Passion, heretofore a latent
force strengthening and sweetening his whole nature, now suddenly
flared into tempestuous activity on its own account. Opposition at
this juncture would have rendered Yermah capable of murder.
The line of demarcation between the virgin mind and partial
realization was forever obliterated. Yermah knew desire. And its
demands were all the more urgent because of long-delayed
expression.