course material

1. The impact of sleep duration on sleepiness, mood and cognition
The impact of sleep duration on sleepiness, mood and cognitionPaper
instructions:Investigation of the impact of sleep duration on sleepiness, mood, and
cognition.Brief Introduction:Sleep deprivation can lead to profound deficits in cognitive
performance – after 17 hours of being awake performance is reported to decrease to a level
equivalent to that observed at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%. Sleep deprivation is
being recognised as a significant public health and safety problem, with almost 20% of all
serious car crash injuries linked to driver sleepiness.Despite the extensive body of evidence
concerning the performance decrements associated with sleep loss, comparatively less is
known about the specific nature of these deficits and whether these deficits are observed in
people with short sleep duration in the general population.The aim of this practical exercise
is to investigate the impact of sleep duration on sleepiness, mood, and cognition. Data from
all students enrolled in PSY2031 will be compiled. Data from students categorised as either
„ short sleepers? or „ long sleepers? will be selected for analysis. The findings of the study
have implications for our own lives, such as when we decide whether or not to deprive
ourselves of sleep, for example, before exams.In this study, you will be both a participant
and a researcher. To examine the impact of sleep duration on sleepiness, mood, and
cognition, we will be using the psychological tests listed below.The Measures:Sleepiness:1)
The Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) (Arkerstedt & Gillberg 1989). This is a self-report
measure of fatigue. KSS is a nine-point scale, with semantic anchors (1 =`extremely alert’ , 5
=’ neither alert nor sleepy’ , 9=’ extremely sleepy – fighting sleep’ ).Mood:2) Positive and
Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) (10 mins) (Watson et al., 1988). The PANAS consists of
10 positive affects (interested, excited, strong, enthusiastic, proud, alert, inspired,
determined, attentive, and active) and 10 negative affects (distressed, upset, guilty, scared,
hostile, irritable, ashamed, nervous, jittery, and afraid). Participants are asked to rate each
item on a scale from 1 to 5, based on the strength of emotion where 1 = “ very slightly or not
at all,” and 5 = “ extremely” .Cognition (Sustained Attention):3) Trail Making task (TMT) (5
mins): (Franzen et al., 1996). The test consists of encircled numbers and letters randomly
spread across a sheet of paper. The object of the test is for the participant to connect the
numbers and letters in order, in an alternating pattern (1-A-2-B-3-C, etc.) in as little time as
possible. (You will have to time yourself with a stop watch or similar)References for test
instruments:Akerstedt, T., & Gillberg, M. (1990). Subjective and objective sleepiness in the

2. active individual. International Journal of Neuroscience, 52, 29-37.Tombaugh, T.N. (2004).
Trail Making Test A and B: Normative data stratified by age and education. Archives of
Clincial Neuropsychology, 19, 203-214.Watson, D., Clark, L.A., & Tellegen, A. (1988).
Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS
scales. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 54, 1063-1070.