EXTENDED SLEEP AND PERFORMANCE - RIP VAN WINKLE EFFECT

An investigation was undertaken of the possible effects upon performance of sleep in excess of that habitually taken. Twelve Ss worked on 15-min vigilance and calculation tasks on 2 successive days 30min after either 8 or 11 h of nocturnal sleep. The order of sleep length and task presentation was counterbalanced among Ss. Performance on the vigilance task was significantly poorer after 11 h of sleep than after 8hof sleep (p <.05). Performance on the calculation task was unaffected by the sleep condition. The results indicate that extended sleep can produce decrements in performance similar to those which occur with sleep deprivation. © 1969, Psychonomic Journals, Inc.. All rights reserved.