scholarly journals Higher Tablet Use Is Associated With Better Sustained Attention Performance but Poorer Sleep Quality in School-Aged Children

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Chiu ◽  
Frances C. Lewis ◽  
Reeva Ashton ◽  
Kim M. Cornish ◽  
Katherine A. Johnson

There are growing concerns that increased screen device usage may have a detrimental impact on classroom behaviour and attentional focus. The consequences of screen use on child cognitive functioning have been relatively under-studied, and results remain largely inconsistent. Screen usage may displace the time usually spent asleep. The aim of this study was to examine associations between screen use, behavioural inattention and sustained attention control, and the potential modifying role of sleep. The relations between screen use, behavioural inattention, sustained attention and sleep were investigated in 162 6- to 8-year-old children, using parent-reported daily screen use, the SWAN ADHD behaviour rating scale, The sustained attention to response task and the children’s sleep habits questionnaire. Tablet use was associated with better sustained attention performance but was not associated with classroom behavioural inattention. Shorter sleep duration was associated with poorer behavioural inattention and sustained attention. Sleep quality and duration did not act as mediators between screen usage and behavioural inattention nor sustained attention control. These findings suggest that careful management of the amount of time spent on electronic screen devices could have a beneficial cognitive impact on young children. The results also highlight the critical role of sleep in enhancing both behavioural attention and sustained attention, which are essential for supporting cognitive development and learning.

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-86
Author(s):  
Francesca Conte ◽  
Serena Malloggi ◽  
Benedetta Albinni ◽  
Mariangela Cerasuolo ◽  
Gianluca Ficca ◽  
...  

This study investigated the role of environmental context in modulating subjective sleep quality and sleepiness in healthy elderlies living at home or in a nursing home. Twenty-five home-dwelling subjects and 18 nursing home residents rated their sleepiness hourly from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. for three nonconsecutive days. Sleep quality, lifestyle, and sleep habits were also evaluated. Compared with home-dwelling subjects, nursing home residents showed a more sedentary lifestyle, advanced bedtime and awakening time, and a relatively stable vigilance level during the waking period. No differences emerged for subjective sleep quality and global vigilance levels between the two groups. Life in a nursing home does not affect sleep quality and global vigilance in healthy elderly subjects, but contributes to flatten their vigilance daily fluctuations. Including nursing home residents in daily activities could be useful to improve their conscious feeling of alertness variations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-459
Author(s):  
Marlise K. Hofer ◽  
Frances S. Chen

Almost nothing is known about whether exposure to the scent of loved ones influences sleep. In the current study, 155 participants spent 2 nights with their partner’s scent and 2 nights with a control scent (in random order). Sleep was measured in two ways: sleep efficiency (via actigraphy) and perceived sleep quality (via self-report). Sleep efficiency was higher when participants were exposed to their partner’s scent. This increase occurred regardless of participants’ beliefs about the origin of the scent. Perceived sleep quality was higher when participants believed that they were smelling their partner’s scent. Exposure to a partner’s scent led sleep efficiency to increase by more than 2% on average, an improvement similar in magnitude to the effect of melatonin on sleep. The current work speaks to the critical role of olfaction in communication and reveals that social scents can impact sleep.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-352
Author(s):  
Mirleny Moraes ◽  
Barbara A. Wilson ◽  
Sueli Rossini ◽  
Kátia Osternack-Pinto ◽  
Rubens Reimão

Abstract Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable REM sleep attacks which alter the patients wake state and can lead to difficulties in attention aspects, such as maintaining attention when performing activities or tasks. This study aimed to evaluate sustained attention performance of two narcoleptic patients on the d2 Test, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Results showed that the maintenance of attention was associated with a slowing of the target symbols processing function in visual scanning with accuracy in task performance. A high degree of excessive sleepiness was observed, along with mild and moderate degrees of depressive signs and symptoms. One subject also presented with a nocturnal sleep disorder which could represent an important factor affecting attentional and affective capacity.


2020 ◽  

Background: Attention is considered one of the most critical and higher-order activities of the mind and one of the prime characteristics of cognitive structure playing a significant role in the structure of intelligence, memory, and perception. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of emotional processing styles in the relationship between lateral superiority, circadian rhythm, and sleep quality with attention performance. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was carried out on the undergraduate psychology students (n=2,300) of Islamic Azad University, Islamshahr Branch, Tehran, Iran, within the 2018-2019 academic year using a stratified random sampling method. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Morningness-Eveningness Scale (Circadian Rhythm Scale), Lateral Superiority Evaluation Checklist, Emotional Processing Scale, and Selective Attention Test were used to collect data. In this study, both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The structural equation modeling and SmartPLS software (version 3.2.9) were utilized to investigate the research hypotheses. Results: The obtained results revealed that emotional processing styles played a mediating role in the relationship between circadian rhythms, lateral superiority, and sleep quality with attention performance. Therefore, it can be said that circadian rhythms, lateral superiority, and sleep quality with a coefficient of 35% (P<0.001; t-value=2.382) affected attention performance with the presence of the mediating factor of emotional processing styles. Conclusion: It can be concluded that emotional processing styles mediate the relationship between sleep quality, lateral superiority, and circadian rhythms with attentional function.


2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 731-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Virring ◽  
Rikke Lambek ◽  
Poul Jørgen Jennum ◽  
Lene Ruge Møller ◽  
Per Hove Thomsen

Objective: Little systematic information is available regarding how sleep problems influence daytime functioning in children with ADHD, as the role of ADHD presentations and comorbidity is unclear. Method: In total, 397 children were assessed with the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire, the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale, and the ADHD Rating Scale. Results: We found a moderate, positive correlation between sleep problems and impaired functioning in both children with ADHD and in typically developed children. ADHD presentations did not differ significantly with respect to sleep problem profile, but having a comorbid internalizing or autistic disorder lead to higher sleep problem score. Conclusion: Sleep problems and impaired daily functioning were more common in children with ADHD, but the overall association between sleep problems and impaired daily functioning was similar in clinical and nonclinical children. Internalizing or autistic comorbid disorders added significantly to the sleep problems.


2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Philofsky

AbstractRecent prevalence estimates for autism have been alarming as a function of the notable increase. Speech-language pathologists play a critical role in screening, assessment and intervention for children with autism. This article reviews signs that may be indicative of autism at different stages of language development, and discusses the importance of several psychometric properties—sensitivity and specificity—in utilizing screening measures for children with autism. Critical components of assessment for children with autism are reviewed. This article concludes with examples of intervention targets for children with ASD at various levels of language development.


1998 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 115A-115A
Author(s):  
K CHWALISZ ◽  
E WINTERHAGER ◽  
T THIENEL ◽  
R GARFIELD
Keyword(s):  

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