Speed of mental processing in the middle of the night

48Citations
Citations of this article
20Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether human mental processing actually slows down during the night hours, separately from the previously documented microsleeps, lapses in attention, and general slowing of motor responses. Eighteen healthy young adults were studied during 36 hours of constant wakeful bedrest. Every 2 hours, they performed a logical reasoning task. Items phrased in the negative voice took reliably longer to respond to than items phrased in the positive voice, indicating the need for more mental processing in those items. By subtracting 'negative' from 'positive' reaction times at each time of day, we were able to plot a circadian rhythm in the time taken for this extra mental processing to be done separately from microsleeps, psychomotor slowing, and inattention. The extra mental processing took longer at night and on the day following sleep loss than it did during the day before the sleep loss, suggesting that human mental processing slows down during the night under sleep deprivation.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Monk, T. H., & Carrier, J. (1997). Speed of mental processing in the middle of the night. Sleep, 20(6), 399–401. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/20.6.399

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free