No abstract

Performance on eight tasks ranging from novel laboratory tests to highly practised familiar skills was measured at five times of day between 8 AM and 9 PM. Five tasks showed a consistent tendency for improvement in efficiency from 8 AM through 9 PM; in one task there was deterioration; and in the remaining two the effects were not significant. The results suggest that the observed trends. are related to the underlying state of arousal as indicated by body temperature.Fluctuations in performance efficiency during the waking day have been observed by a number of investigators (e.g., KIeitman, 1963). Although the evidence presented by Kleitman for the existence of systematic trends is impressive, the majority of stUdies have been carried out with very small samples of Ss. This may explain the considerable disagreement as to the detailed form of the diurnal curves of efficiency.The present investigation attempted to overcome this problem by studying relatively large and homogeneous samples of Ss. A wide range of tests was used in order to assess the extent to which time of day effects, if present, were task-specific. MethodLatin square designs were used for each task to control for practice effects. After preliminary training, each S was tested once in isolation without KR, at each of the following times: 8:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:30 PM, and 9:00 PM. Normally only one test was carried out on anyone day, the series being completed over 5 successive days; occasionally tests at 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM were made on the same day. Ss (Naval ratings with an age range of 17-33 years) followed a normal "shore base" routine for sleep and meals and did not engage in any activity likely to affect their performance during the testing periods. Tasks(1) Five-Choice Serial Reaction: 30 Ss tapped one of 5 metal disks to extinguish one of 5 lights and automatically light another. Order of light presentations was random and high S-R compatibility was provided by a pentagonal array of lights and disks. Task duration was 30 min. Ss were scored on correct and incorrect responses and "gaps," i.e., periods of 1.5 sec between successive taps.(2) Vigilance: 25 Ss listened to a 500 cps tone of (normally) 600 msec duration, repeated every 3 sec. The "signals" were 24, 670 msec tones dispersed at random during the 53 min session. Scores were correct detections and false reports.(3) Card Sorting: 30 Ss sorted 8, 64 card packs comprising playing card packs with 9s, lOs, and court Psychon. Sci., 1967, Vol. 9 (6) cards removed. Cards were sorted into 2 (red and black) and 8 categories (i.e., by number). Duration was 12-15 min; scores were sorting times.(4) Letter Cancellation: 25 Ss checked through sheets of English prose, cancelling each letter "e." Duration was 30 min; scores were number of letters processed (whether cancelled or not) and percent omission errors.(5) Time Estimation: 30 Ss made 2 estimates of intervals of 10, 20, 30, 60, and 120 sec by the production method. Duration was 20 min; scores were time intervals produced.(6) Digit Span: ...

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the efficacy of adolescent cognitive-behavioral sleep interventions. Searches of PubMed, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, EMBASE, and MEDLINE were performed from inception to May 1, 2016, supplemented with manual screening. Nine trials were selected (n = 357, mean age = 14.97 years; female = 61.74%). Main outcomes were subjective (sleep diary/questionnaire) and objective (actigraphy) total sleep time (TST), sleep onset latency (SOL), sleep efficiency (SE), and wake after sleep onset (WASO). There were a small number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs; n = 4) and a high risk of bias across the RCTs; therefore, within sleep condition meta-analyses were examined (n = 221). At post-intervention, subjective TST improved by 29.47 min (95% CI 17.18, 41.75), SOL by 21.44 min (95% CI -30.78, -12.11), SE by 5.34% (95% CI 2.64, 8.04), and WASO by a medium effect size [d = 0.59 (95% CI 0.36, 0.82)]. Objective SOL improved by 16.15 min (95% CI -26.13, -6.17) and SE by 2.82% (95% CI 0.58, 5.07). Global sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, depression, and anxiety also improved. Gains were generally maintained over time. Preliminary evidence suggests that adolescent cognitive-behavioral sleep interventions are effective, but further high-quality RCTs are needed. Suggestions for further research are provided.

Objective: Sleep problems are a major risk factor for the emergence of mental health problems in adolescence. The aim of this study was to investigate the post intervention effects of a cognitive–behavioral/mindfulness-based group sleep intervention on sleep and mental health among at-risk adolescents. Method: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted across High schools in Melbourne, Australia. One hundred forty-four adolescents (aged 12–17 years) with high levels of anxiety and sleeping difficulties, but without past or current depressive disorder, were randomized into either a sleep improvement intervention or an active control ‘study skills’ intervention. Both programs consisted of 7 90-min-long group sessions delivered over 7 weeks. One hundred twenty-three participants began the interventions (female = 60%; mean age = 14.48, SD = 0.95), with 60 in the sleep condition and 63 in the control condition. All participants were required to complete a battery of mood and sleep questionnaires, 7 days of wrist actigraphy (an objective measure of sleep), and sleep diary entry at pre- and-post intervention. Results: The sleep intervention condition was associated with significantly greater improvements in subjective sleep (global sleep quality [with a medium effect size], sleep onset latency, daytime sleepiness [with small effect sizes]), objective sleep (sleep onset latency [with a medium effect size]), and anxiety (with a small effect size) compared with the control intervention condition. Conclusion: The SENSE study provides evidence that a multicomponent group sleep intervention that includes cognitive–behavioral and mindfulness-based therapies can reduce sleep initiation problems and related daytime dysfunction, along with concomitant anxiety symptoms, among at-risk adolescents.

There is utility in understanding the antecedents of binge eating (BE), with a view to explaining poorer weight loss treatment responses in this subgroup. A systematic review was completed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines with the aim of exploring associations between emotions and eating behaviour in a population affected by obesity and binge eating disorder (BED). A comprehensive literature search of four electronic databases (2004-2014) yielded 15 studies for inclusion. Included studies performed poorly on data quality analysis with respect to controlling for confounding variables, and sample size. Included papers largely focused on negative emotions as antecedents of BE; depression was consistently associated with a BED-obese classification and BE. Negative mood, sadness, tension and instability of emotions were found to be antecedents of BE in an adult BED-obese sample. However, findings were mixed regarding the role of stress, anger and positive emotions within the BED-obese population. Recommendations are presented for the identification of BED, and ecologically valid experimental designs that further understanding of the complex and varied emotions that associate with BE. The implications of these and other limitations for both researchers and practitioners are discussed. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research alongside suggestions for practitioners. © 2015 World Obesity.