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Arctic cognition: a study of cognitive performance in summer and winter at 69°N
Author(s) -
Brennen Tim,
Martinussen Monica,
Ole Hansen Bernt,
Hjemdal Odin
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
applied cognitive psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.719
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1099-0720
pISSN - 0888-4080
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-0720(199912)13:6<561::aid-acp661>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - cognition , mood , psychology , affect (linguistics) , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , arctic , the arctic , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , ecology , psychiatry , communication , oceanography , biology , geology
Evidence has accumulated over the past 15 years that affect in humans is cyclical. In winter there is a tendency to depression, with remission in summer, and this effect is stronger at higher latitudes. In order to determine whether human cognition is similarly rhythmical, this study investigated the cognitive processes of 100 participants living at 69°N. Participants were tested in summer and winter on a range of cognitive tasks, including verbal memory, attention and simple reaction time tasks. The seasonally counterbalanced design and the very northerly latitude of this study provide optimal conditions for detecting impaired cognitive performance in winter, and the conclusion is negative: of five tasks with seasonal effects, four had disadvantages in summer. Like the menstrual cycle, the circannual cycle appears to influence mood but not cognition. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.