| Abstract: | Conducted 2 experiments on the effect of different work shifts on efficiency by testing an aspect of the performance of nonshift workers at several different times of day. A pencil-and-paper, choice-reaction time modification of the Stroop Color-Word Test was used to measure performance. In Exp I, 14 16-50 yr old housewives and workers were tested at 8 AM and 16 Ss were tested at 6 pm. In Exp II, a single group of 12 college students was tested, within a period of 24 hrs, at 8 AM, noon, 8 PM, and midnight. In both experiments, color interference was greater in the early evening than in the morning. Results are attributed to covariation of color interference with diurnal variation in arousal and have implications for the choice of work shift and distribution of work during the shift period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
