Investigation of task performance variations according to task requirements and alertness across the 24-h day in shift workers

• Published in: Ergonomics 2008-09, Vol.51 (9), p.1338-1351
• Main Authors: Galy, E., Mélan, C., Cariou, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; alertness; Applied physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Cognitive science; Ergonomics; Ergonomics. Work place. Occupational physiology; France; Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Memory; memory tasks; Middle Aged; non-verbal discrimination; reaction time; Response time; Shift work; shift-workers; Space life sciences; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Task Performance and Analysis; Visual task performance; Wakefulness; Work Schedule Tolerance; Workloads
• ISSN: 0014-0139; 1366-5847
• DOI: 10.1080/00140130802120218

The study investigated time-of-day effects on task performance in shift workers in different tasks (reaction time, discrimination, probe recognition, free recall), by varying task-specific features. On each of six recordings, each programmed on a different day and in a randomised order, operators rated alertness and performed different tasks. Self-rated alertness varied according to a typical diurnal trend. Time of day also affected reaction time (slower responses at 03:00 hours), discrimination performance (lower accuracy at 03:00 hours in the most difficult condition) and recall (superior recall at 07:00 and 11:00 hours following deeper processing at encoding). The data demonstrated time-of-day effects on cognitive processes also involved in many real-job activities, despite the lack of control for a number of exogenous factors known to interfere with performance in work settings. Since in the cognitively more loaded tasks, time-of-day effects depended on task conditions, the findings are of operational concern in shift-work situations involving differential task requirements. In a real-job setting, performance variations were observed according to time of day and task requirements in a set of cognitively more or less demanding tasks. Task-specific research across the 24-h day enables a better understanding of operators' tasks and the development of supporting technology.