Neural Correlates of Social Influence on Construction Hazard Cognition: Insights from ERP Components

Abstract

Effectively investigating cognitive factors underlying unsafe behaviors of construction workers is critical for reducing construction site accidents. While previous studies have emphasized perceptual and attentional mechanisms, limited research has examined how social information and individual traits jointly shape hazard processing in construction contexts. Drawing on social impact theory, this study investigates how social information source (leader versus colleague), information bias (overestimation and underestimation of risks), and individual risk preference (high versus low) interact to influence construction workers’ behavioral responses and neural dynamics during hazard evaluation. A modified judgment-association-selection paradigm was implemented in a behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) experiment with 36 participants possessing construction experience. Behavioral data showed that social information source and bias significantly influenced workers’ hazard severity rating adjustments and reaction time. Compared to colleague information, leader information induced faster response and greater bias-congruent rating adjustment. Risk preference moderated the relationship between information bias and reaction time, with high-risk preference workers responding more quickly. Time-domain analyses of ERP data revealed that leader information elicited enhanced P200 and P300 amplitudes and attenuated feedback-related negativity (FRN) responses, suggesting prioritized early attention and reduced conflict processing. Risk preference further moderated neural sensitivity to social information source at P200, FRN, and late positive potential stages. These findings advance the understanding of how social and individual factors shape hazard cognition at behavioral and neural levels, offering implications for safety strategies tailored to information source characteristics and individual risk profiles.