A Task’s Cognitive Demands Influence Self-reported Performance Variances Throughout The Day

• Main Author: Bellicoso, Daniela
• Other Authors: Ralph, Martin
• Language: en_ca
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: Performance; Time-of-day preference; Morningness; Eveningness; Executive function; Cognitive; Physical; Emotional; Sleep; 0633; 0384
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/25428

Chronotype describes the daily rhythm of an individual’s performance capability as it changes through the day. It is defined using the Horne-Östberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) which assesses time-of-day preference; or the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (MCTQ) which indicates sleep timing parameters. My hypothesis was that chronotype predominantly reflects an individual’s perceived daily rhythm in executive function. We tested this by comparing MEQ and MCTQ with the University of Toronto Inventory of Morningness and Eveningness (UTIME) Questionnaire which examines performance on scenarios requiring cognitive, physical, and/or emotional responses. Highest correlations were found between MEQ and UTIME tasks with high executive demand. The same UTIME tasks were also correlated with MCTQ (mid-sleep, free days), although the correlations were consistently lower than UTIME versus MEQ. Correlations among UTIME tasks and MCTQ (mid-sleep, workdays) were not linked to executive demand. Chronotype appears to reflect the perception of peak executive ability independently of sleep pattern.