Abstract
The circadian rhythm regulates arousal levels throughout the day and determines optimal periods for engaging in mental activities. Individuals differ in the time of day at which they reach their peak: Morning-type individuals are at their best in the morning and evening types perform better in the evening. Performance in recall and recognition of non-facial stimuli is generally superior at an individual’s circadian peak. In two studies (Ns = 103 and 324), we tested the effect of time-of-testing optimality on eyewitness identification performance. Morning- and evening-type participants viewed stimulus films depicting staged crimes and made identification decisions from target-present and target-absent lineups either at their optimal or non-optimal time-of-day. We expected that participants would make more accurate identification decisions and that the confidence-accuracy and decision time-accuracy relationships would be stronger at optimal compared to non-optimal time of day. In Experiment 1, identification accuracy was unexpectedly superior at non-optimal compared to optimal time of day in target-present lineups. In Experiment 2, identification accuracy did not differ between the optimal and non-optimal time of day. Contrary to our expectations, confidence-accuracy relationship was generally stronger at non-optimal compared to optimal time of day. In line with our predictions, non-optimal testing eliminated decision-time-accuracy relationship in Experiment 1.
Highlights
The circadian rhythm regulates arousal levels throughout the day and determines optimal periods for engaging in mental activities
We expected that participants would make more accurate identification decisions and that the confidence-accuracy and decision time-accuracy relationships would be stronger at optimal compared to non-optimal time of day
We investigated how chronotype synchrony affects the postdictive value of postdictors of identification accuracy, namely post-decision confidence and decision times
Summary
The circadian rhythm regulates arousal levels throughout the day and determines optimal periods for engaging in mental activities. Cognitive performance depends on whether or not the actual time of day is aligned with individual time-ofday preference[11] Morning types reach their functional peak in the morning, whereas evening types are at their best in the evening hours. Morning types recalled significantly more idea units at 9 AM (optimal) compared to the afternoon and evening sessions (non-optimal), whereas evening-type participants did not show a similar pattern of performance[17]. In another experiment, participants encoded a series of paragraph-length stories and
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
