Neural signatures of engagement in driving: comparing active control and passive observation

Understanding how the human brain differentiates between active engagement and passive observation is a fundamental question in cognitive neuroscience. Using a matched-stimulus driving paradigm to isolate engagement from sensory input, we recorded whole-brain EEG while participants performed a manual control task and passively viewed a replay of their own performance. Manual control elicited distinct spectral signatures, including stronger frontal midline theta power and, paradoxically, greater occipital alpha power, consistent with heightened cognitive control and active attentional filtering. While a classifier could distinguish these states with high within-subject accuracy, performance declined in cross-subject validation, highlighting inter-individual variability. These findings delineate the distinct neural signatures of active versus passive engagement under controlled conditions. This work establishes a foundational neurophysiological baseline that can inform research on cognitive state monitoring and the design of neuroadaptive systems in complex human-machine interaction.