Digital adaptation EEG-derived profiles as indicators of agency and freedom in digital or AI-mediated environments

This research poster presents a mixed-methods investigation of individual adaptation to novel digital environments under conditions of uncertainty. The study combines survey, qualitative, and psychophysiological approaches and focuses particularly on an EEG-based experimental assessment of adaptation to familiar and unfamiliar digital environments with and without time pressure. The experimental findings indicate that the combination of novelty and time pressure produced the highest levels of psychophysiological stress and mental load. Latent Profile Analysis identified four distinct adaptation profiles: Adaptive Novices, Balanced Adapters, Vulnerable Under Pressure, and Adaptive Leaders. These profiles reflect systematic individual differences in attention, relaxation, mental load, stress regulation, and subjective state during interaction with digital environments. The findings have implications for understanding vulnerability and resilience in digital contexts and for supporting adaptive, human-centred interaction with digital and AI-mediated environments. Keywords digital adaptation; digital environments; EEG; psychophysiology; technostress; digital competence; time pressure; uncertainty; human–computer interaction; agency Additional information / Note The corresponding abstract was accepted for poster presentation at the 40th Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society (EHPS 2026). The authors did not register for or participate in the conference, and the poster was therefore not presented at the meeting. This PsychArchives deposit constitutes the public archival publication of the research poster.