STRESS LEVEL AND COGNITIVE LOAD TEST OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER-GRADE EEG SIGNAL AND NASA-TLX QUESTIONNAIRE

Authors

  • Bekti Afre Ratri Master Program of Physics Teaching, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesa 10 Bandung 40132, Indonesia
  • Siti Nurul Khotimah Nuclear Physics and Biophysics Research Group, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesa 10 Bandung 40132, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11113/jurnalteknologi.v88.24938

Keywords:

Brain waves, cognitive load, mental demand, frustration, theta/beta power ratio, beta/alpha power ratio, NASA-TLX

Abstract

Brain wave data collection had been conducted on 35 students from SMAN 2 Cikarang Selatan, Indonesia, during their physics exam between August and September 2024. This research aimed to process brain wave activity experienced by students three minutes before the exam, during the 40-minute exam period, and three minutes after the exam, focusing on stress management that may affect brain activity through amplitude changes and frequency shifts using the consumer-grade EEG device Muse 2.0. Mental demand and frustration can be objectively measured using EEG through Beta/Alpha (β/ ) power ratio and Theta/Beta (θ/β) power ratio. In addition to using EEG, students' cognitive load is also assessed subjectively using the NASA-TLX questionnaire. The analysis of β/  power ratio differences after and before the exam categorized subjects into five groups: Positive 2, Positive 1, Neutral, Negative 1, and Negative 2. The results indicate that a certain level of increased cognitive load during the exam led to lower test scores than neutral cognitive load conditions. A rise in β wave power during the exam provides insight into individuals striving to engage with cognitive tasks optimally. The β/  power ratio difference has a moderate positive correlation (0.263) with increased mental demand, suggesting that subjects experienced excessive cognitive load during the exam. Higher mental demand is associated with an increase in the power of β frequency in the frontal lobe. Additionally, a weak positive correlation (0.077) was found between the frustration indicator in NASA-TLX and the (θ/β) power ratio difference.

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Published

2026-04-30

Issue

Vol. 88 No. 3: May 2026

Section

Science and Engineering

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