Title |
Cognitive fatigue influences students’ performance on standardized tests
|
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Published in |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, February 2016
|
DOI | 10.1073/pnas.1516947113 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Hans Henrik Sievertsen, Francesca Gino, Marco Piovesan |
Abstract |
Using test data for all children attending Danish public schools between school years 2009/10 and 2012/13, we examine how the time of the test affects performance. Test time is determined by the weekly class schedule and computer availability at the school. We find that, for every hour later in the day, test performance decreases by 0.9% of an SD (95% CI, 0.7-1.0%). However, a 20- to 30-minute break improves average test performance by 1.7% of an SD (95% CI, 1.2-2.2%). These findings have two important policy implications: First, cognitive fatigue should be taken into consideration when deciding on the length of the school day and the frequency and duration of breaks throughout the day. Second, school accountability systems should control for the influence of external factors on test scores. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 19 | 25% |
Denmark | 6 | 8% |
United Kingdom | 6 | 8% |
Canada | 4 | 5% |
Australia | 2 | 3% |
New Zealand | 1 | 1% |
Netherlands | 1 | 1% |
Isle of Man | 1 | 1% |
Norway | 1 | 1% |
Other | 2 | 3% |
Unknown | 34 | 44% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 56 | 73% |
Scientists | 17 | 22% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 3% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 3% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 2 | <1% |
Luxembourg | 1 | <1% |
Belgium | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 256 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 41 | 16% |
Researcher | 35 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 34 | 13% |
Student > Master | 33 | 13% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 15 | 6% |
Other | 53 | 20% |
Unknown | 49 | 19% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 54 | 21% |
Social Sciences | 15 | 6% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 12 | 5% |
Neuroscience | 12 | 5% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 12 | 5% |
Other | 88 | 34% |
Unknown | 67 | 26% |