scholarly journals Alcohol Hangover and Multitasking: Effects on Mood, Cognitive Performance, Stress Reactivity, and Perceived Effort

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Benson ◽  
Elizabeth Ayre ◽  
Harriet Garrisson ◽  
Mark A Wetherell ◽  
Joris C Verster ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of hangover on mood, multitasking ability, and psychological stress reactivity to cognitive demand. Using a crossover design and semi-naturalistic methodology, 25 participants attended the laboratory in the morning following a night of (i) alcohol abstinence and (ii) alcohol self-administration during a typical night out (with order counterbalanced across participants). They completed a four-module multitasking framework (MTF, a widely used laboratory stressor) and a battery of questionnaires assessing mood, hangover symptom severity, and previous night’s sleep. The effects of the MTF on mood and perceived workload were also assessed. Participants in the hangover condition reported significantly lower alertness and contentment coupled with a higher mental fatigue and anxiety. Multitasking ability was also significantly impaired in the hangover condition. Completion of the cognitive stressor increased reported levels of mental demand, effort, and frustration, and decreased perceived level of performance. MTF completion did not differentially affect mood. Lastly, participants rated their sleep as significantly worse during the night prior to the hangover compared with the control condition. These findings confirm the negative cognitive and mood effects of hangover on mood. They also demonstrate that hangover is associated with greater perceived effort during task performance.

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1154-1154
Author(s):  
Raymundo Cervantes ◽  
Daniel W Lopez-Hernandez ◽  
Winter Olmos ◽  
Amy Bichlmeier ◽  
Rachel A Rugh-Fraser ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction We examined the impact of perceived workload and depressive symptoms on Rey-15 plus recognition (RMT) in ethnic minority participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods The sample consisted of 63 healthy comparison [HC: 38 with ethnic minority status (EM) & 25 non-ethnic minority Caucasian (NEM)] participants and 40 persons with TBI (18 EM; 22 NEM). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to measure depressive symptoms (HADS-D) and the NASA-Task Load Index (NASA TLX) to measure perceived workload. Results ANCOVAs revealed that NEM outperformed EM on the RMT, p = 0.000, ηp2 = 0.37. TBI survivors reported higher levels of HADS-D compared to HC participants, p = 0.018, ηp2 = 0.06. Additionally, the EM group reported higher levels of frustration on the RMT compared to NEMs, p = 0.033, ηp2 = 0.05. Interactions emerged for physical demand where NEM participant’s with TBI had higher ratings than EM participants with TBI. For HCs, the EM participants provided higher physical demand ratings than their NEM counterparts, p = 0.029, ηp2 = 0.05. Additionally, a significant relationship between HADS-D and RMT was observed in the healthy NEM participants (r = −0.558, p = 0.004) and NEM participants with TBI (r = −0.288, p = 0.080). Finally, significant relationships between HADS-D and mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, frustration, and overall subjective workload were observed in healthy EM participants, r = 0.342–0.431, p < 0.05. Conclusion Consistent with previous research, TBI survivors reported higher levels of depressive symptoms, which were associated with RMT performances. Overall, our data suggest the relationship between perceived workload, depression, and performance is complex and that investigators should interpret performance validity scores in person with TBI, depression, and/or EM status with great care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (21) ◽  
pp. 1794-1805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel Legenza ◽  
Nancy A Nickman ◽  
Frank A Drews ◽  
Matthew Rim ◽  
Jeremy Tigh ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Results of a study to determine whether reducing pharmacy phone call workload through implementation of a pharmacy services call center (PSCC) led to decreased employee workload, improved efficiency, and increased pharmacist availability for patient care are reported. Methods A pre–post study was conducted using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) instrument. Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians at 7 academic health center community pharmacies, and PSCC staff provided NASA-TLX data over 5 days during 3 data collection periods before and after PSCC implementation. Perceived workload was measured as an overall workload score (OWS) and mean scores for 6 NASA-TLX workload dimensions (mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration). Results Relative to pre-PSCC values, mean postimplementation OWS scores significantly decreased in all 7 pharmacies (from 33.3 to 29.1 overall, p < 0.001) but especially in small pharmacies (from 31.7 to 27.6, p < 0.001). Scores for the physical demand and frustration dimensions were low in both the PSCC and in the 7 pharmacies, while scores for the performance dimension remained high (range, 6.8–8.3). In general, scores for all other measured NASA-TLX dimensions decreased after PSCC implementation, more so at smaller pharmacies. The PSCC staff mean OWS score increased over time (from 26.8 to 28.6, p < 0.0001) but remained near the overall pharmacy average of 29.1. Conclusion Use of the NASA TLX allowed for a direct subjective measurement of workload as perceived by pharmacy and PSCC employees before and after PSCC implementation. Long-term effects of the PSCC on workload should be assessed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1089-1089
Author(s):  
Isabel Munoz ◽  
Daniel W Lopez-Hernandez ◽  
Abril J Baez ◽  
Raymundo Cervantes ◽  
Raelynn B Munoz ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Confrontation naming tests are used to examine an individual’s lexical retrieval. We examined the relationship of perceived workload and acculturation in three ethnic groups’ Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) performance. Methods The sample consisted of 32 Latinx, 11 Caucasians, and 10 Asian; all neurologically and psychologically healthy residents. All participants completed the CNT and subscales of the Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale (AMAS) in English. AMAS was used to measure acculturation and the NASA-Task Load Index (NASA TLX) measured perceived workload. Results The CNT showed that the Caucasian group outperformed the Latinx group, p = 0.024, ηp2 = 0.14. However, the Latinx group reported better CNT performance compared to the Caucasian group, p = 0.023, ηp2 = 0.14. No differences were found between groups on the AMAS. Finally, we found a significant relationship between CNT and NASA-TLX subscales (i.e., performance, mental demand, effort, frustration, & overall perceived workload) in the Latinx group, r = −0.562 to −0.398, p &lt; 0.05. Discussion Results showed the Latinx group demonstrated worse CNT performance compared to the Caucasian group. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate confrontation naming performance in an ethnically diverse sample. Furthermore, we found the Latinx group reported a higher perceived performance on the CNT compared to Caucasians. Our results indicated a relationship between CNT performance and perceived workload in our Latinx sample as opposed to the Caucasian and Asian groups. Future research is needed with a larger sample size; moreover, additional research should investigate interactions between perceived workload, acculturation, and other cultural variables (e.g., bilingualism) in the interpretation of test performance in diverse ethnic groups.


Author(s):  
Brian W. Moroney ◽  
Joel S. Warm ◽  
William N. Dember

This study examined the effects of transitions in task demand on vigilance performance and perceived mental workload. Task demand was manipulated through variations in background event rate–the rate of cascade of neutral events which must be monitored in order to detect critical signals. As is typical in vigilance research, overall performance varied inversely with event rate in all phases of the study. The post-transition performance of observers shifted from a fast-to-slow event rate (high-to-low task demand) remained below that of their continuous slow event rate controls, and was thus unaffected by the shift. In contrast, the post-transition performance of monitors shifted in the opposite direction, slow-to-fast event rate, was affected by the shift. In this case, the performance of the shifted observers fell below that of their continuous fast event rate controls. These results challenge prior findings indicating that psychophysical contrast is the representative outcome of shifts in information-processing demand in vigilance tasks (Krulewitz, Warm, & Wohl, 1975). Consistent with previous findings, workload scores, as indexed by the NASA-TLX, fell at the mid-to-upper level of the scale. Shifted observers who experienced both high and low levels of task demand during the vigil showed differences in composite ratings on the Mental Demand subscale. These results serve to caution that workload measurements obtained through the NASA-TLX at the end of an experimental session containing variations in task demand do not simply reflect an averaging of the observer's demand experiences.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 100260
Author(s):  
Nicholas C. Glodosky ◽  
Carrie Cuttler ◽  
Timothy G. Freels ◽  
Hayden R. Wright ◽  
Manuel J. Rojas ◽  
...  

Retos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 868-874
Author(s):  
Roberto Silva Flores ◽  
Jaume Mas Riera ◽  
Alexandre Garcia-Mas

  El objetivo del presente trabajo fue conocer las implicaciones del estilo comunicativo del entrenador durante la realización de la actividad en la carga de trabajo percibida por jugadores jóvenes de fútbol. En el estudio participaron dos equipos de la categoría cadete, siendo un total de 32 jugadores (M = 15.19; SD = 0.39), y sus dos respectivos entrenadores. La recogida de datos tuvo lugar en dos entrenamientos diferentes, con un intervalo de una semana entre cada actividad. La carga de trabajo se midió mediante el NASA-TLX adaptado a la herramienta de Google Forms que los jugadores contestaron después de la actividad. Para analizar la comunicación del entrenador se utilizó la grabación en video y audio de la actividad para un posterior análisis a través de una adaptación del CBAS. Aunque los entrenadores presentan dos estilos comunicativos distintos, los resultados no muestran una diferencia significativa entre los dos equipos en la carga de trabajo percibida. Sin embargo, el estilo comunicativo directivo presenta una tendencia a una mayor exigencia mental, una mayor frustración y un menor rendimiento percibido.  Abstract. The aim of this study was to know the implications of the coach's communicative style during the performance of the activity on the workload perceived by young soccer players. Two teams from the cadet category participated in the study, with a total of 32 players (M = 15.19; SD = 0.39), and their two respective coaches. Data collection took place in two different workouts, with an interval of one week between each activity. The workload was measured using the NASA-TLX adapted to the Google Forms tool that the players answered after the activity. Regarding the analysis of the coach's communication, video and audio recording of the activity was used for subsequent analysis through an adaptation of CBAS. Although the coaches have two different communication styles, the results don’t show a significant difference between the two teams in perceived workload. However, the managerial communication style presents a trend towards greater mental demand, greater frustration and lower performance perceived.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel E. Bradford ◽  
John Joseph Curtin ◽  
Megan E. Piper

Most smokers attempting to quit will relapse, even when using evidence-based cessation treatment. This illustrates the need for better understanding of the relapse process to thereby improve cessation treatments. While the impact of stress sensitivity on relapse is clear, little research has precisely examined stress reactivity in addicted individuals. Further, most research on relapse focuses on affect surrounding self-administration, and doesn’t address potentially important pre-consumption processes such as anticipation of use. We examined the effects of anticipation and actual smoking on stress reactivity in 34 deprived smokers withdrawn for 24 hours and 37 non-deprived smokers, with 37 non-smoker controls. Using a cued shock stressor task, we measured stress reactivity via startle potentiation and self-reported anxiety. After completing the task once, smokers anticipated smoking a cigarette resting in front of them while they completed the task a second time. Smokers then smoked before completing the task a third and final time. Non-smokers anticipated and drank water as a control. Anticipation of smoking significantly attenuated both startle potentiation and self-reported anxiety to shock cues for deprived smokers relative to non-deprived smokers. Smokers’ stress reactivity was not reduced by smoking beyond the prior effect of anticipation. These results suggest that anticipation, rather than actual drug consumption, may drive the primary reinforcing effect of reduced stress reactivity in smoking. Future research is needed to understand this effect of anticipation on drug use and determine whether anticipation would make an effective intervention target for addiction and other psychopathology which exhibits increased stress sensitivity.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel P. Stafford ◽  
Theodore N. Kazan ◽  
Colleen M. Donovan ◽  
Erin E. Hart ◽  
Robert C. Drugan ◽  
...  

AbstractOpioid use is a widespread epidemic, and traumatic stress exposure is a critical risk factor in opioid use and relapse. There is a significant gap in our understanding of how stress contributes to heroin use, and there are limited studies investigating individual differences underlying stress reactivity and subsequent stress-induced heroin self-administration. We hypothesized that greater individual vulnerability to stress would predict higher demand for heroin self-administration in a within-subjects rodent model of stress and heroin use comorbidity. Male rats were exposed to inescapable intermittent swim stress and individual biological (corticosterone) or behavioral (open field, social exploration, and forced swim tests) measures were assessed before and after the stress episode. Individual demand for self-administered heroin (0.05 mg/kg/infusion; 12-hour sessions) was assessed using a behavioral economics approach followed by extinction and reinstatement tests triggered by stress re-exposure, non-contingent cue presentations, and yohimbine (0, 1.0, or 2.5 mg/kg). We found that behavioral, biological, and a combination of behavioral and biological markers sampled prior and after the stress episode that occurred weeks before the access to heroin selfadministration predicted the magnitude of individual demand for heroin. Non-contingent presentation of cues, that were previously associated with heroin, reinstated heroin seeking in extinction. For the first time, we show that individual biological response to an ecologically relevant stressor in combination with associated behavioral markers can be used to predict subsequent economic demand for heroin.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. Ornelas ◽  
Ryan E. Tyler ◽  
Preethi Irukulapati ◽  
Sudheesha Paladugu ◽  
Joyce Besheer

AbstractPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are highly comorbid. Additionally, individual differences in response to stress suggest resilient and susceptible populations. The current study exposed male and female Long Evans rats to the synthetically produced predator odor 2,5-dihydro-2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT) to examine individual differences in stress-reactive behaviors (digging and immobility) and whether these differences could predict lasting consequences of TMT and increases in alcohol drinking. Male and female Long Evans rats were trained on operant alcohol self-administration. After 9 sessions, rats underwent exposure to TMT or water (Control) in a distinct context. 6 days after TMT exposure, rats underwent re-exposure to the TMT-paired context (without TMT), and a series of behavioral assessments (acoustic startle, zero maze, light/dark box), after which rats resumed alcohol self-administration. Rats were divided into two TMT-subgroups using a ratio of digging and immobility behavior during TMT exposure: TMT-subgroup 1 (low digging/immobility ratio) and TMT-subgroup 2 (high digging/immobility ratio). Digging/immobility ratio scores predicted elevated corticosterone levels during TMT exposure and reactivity during context re-exposure in males and females (TMT-subgroup 2), as well as elevated corticosterone levels after context re-exposure and hyperarousal behavior in females (TMT-subgroup 1). Furthermore, TMT stress reactivity predicted increases in alcohol self-administration, specifically in females. These data show that stress-reactivity can predict lasting behavioral changes which may lead to a better understanding of increases in alcohol drinking following stress in females and that individual differences in stress-reactive behaviors using TMT may be helpful to understand resilience/susceptibility to the lasting consequences of stress.HighlightsExposure to the predator odor TMT produces distinct behavioral phenotypes in male and female ratsMale and female high stress reactive rats show enhanced reactivity to the TMT-paired contextStress-reactivity during TMT predicts increases in alcohol self-administration, in femalesStress-reactivity may help to understand resilience/susceptibility and impact on alcohol drinking


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily C. Zehnder ◽  
Brenda H. Y. Law ◽  
Georg M. Schmölzer

Objective: Human errors or protocol deviations during neonatal resuscitation are common. Excess workload has been proposed as a contributor to human error during medical tasks. We aim to characterize healthcare providers' perceived workload during neonatal resuscitation.Design: Perceived workload was measured using a multi-dimensional retrospective National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA TLX) survey. The NASA TLX collects data on mental, physical, and temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration. Each section is rated independently by participants on a scale of 0–20 (0 being lowest and 20 being highest). The Raw-TLX score is a composite score of all dimensions and presented on a scale of 0–100. Healthcare providers complete a paper and pencil survey after attending delivery room resuscitations within 3 months.Setting: Level three neonatal intensive care unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada.Participants: All neonatal healthcare providers who attended deliveries.Exposure: Participation in the delivery room care of newborns.Measurement: Raw TLX scores as a measure of overall workload and scores for each dimension of workload.Main Results: During the study period, ~880 neonatal resuscitation events occurred, and a total of 204 surveys were completed. Healthcare providers completed one survey for 179 deliveries, two surveys for 20 deliveries, and three surveys for 5 deliveries. The mean (standard deviation) gestational age was 35 (5) weeks, and the median (interquartile range) birth weight was 2,690 (1,830–3,440) g. Interventions at delivery were (i) stimulation 149 (73%), suction 130 (64%), continuous positive airway pressure 120 (59%), positive pressure ventilation 105 (52%), intubation 33 (16%), chest compression 10 (5%), and epinephrine 4 (2%). The overall median (interquartile range) Raw-TLX was 34 (18–49). The scores varied by dimension with mental demand 10 (5–14), physical demand 4 (1–6), temporal demand 8 (3–14), performance 4 (2–6), effort 8 (4–13), and frustration 4 (1–10). Raw-TLX scores were higher when healthcare providers performed any intervention compared to no intervention [35 (22–49) vs. 8 (6–18), p = 0.0011]; intubation and no intubation was [55 (46–62) vs. 30 (17–46), p = 0.0001], and between performing chest compression vs. no chest compression [55 (49–64) vs. 33 (18–47), p = 0.001].Conclusion: Perceived workload of neonatal healthcare providers increases during higher acuity deliveries. Healthcare providers' workload during neonatal resuscitation can be measured using NASATLX and was inversely associated with 5-min Apgar score. Future studies assessing healthcare providers' perceived workload during neonatal resuscitation in different settings are warranted.


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