Keynote: Detecting cognitive state for operators of cyber-physical systems: Design of experiments

Summary form only given. Operators of cyber-physical systems, especially those in critical infrastructure like hospitals, power and water plants, telecommunications, etc., are prone to mood changes that can affect their ability to control systems or to avoid error. Moods, especially stress, can affect fine motor control due to the release of primary stress hormones in the brain that prepare the body for a flight-or-fight response to a perceived adverse event. Since fine motor control is what we use when we type on a keyboard, changes in mental state - mood, stress, etc. - might be detectable by observing changes in operator typing rhythms. Such changes, due to stress or anxiety, might also manifest in users/operators who have malicious intent, as in theft of corporate or military sensitive information (e.g., the WikiLeaks case). To determine whether or not such changes in typing rhythms can be detected will take careful experimentation. This talk will discuss the design of experiments to test this idea, providing a framework for thinking about and planning a suite of activities to demonstrate the feasibility of detecting stress/emotion through the keyboard.