Alan Moffitt

The effects of sleep deprivation on divergent thinking and attention processes.

SUMMARY  Twelve male undergraduate students were deprived of sleep for one night and were tested with a series of cognitive tasks. Their performance was compared to the performance of thirteen control subjects. Two hourly tasks and three occasional tasks were administered in order to examine cognitive performance following sleep loss. In an attempt to replicate the findings of Horne (1988a), the figural form of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking was administered. To explore the effects of short‐term sleep deprivation on attention, the following tasks were also administered: a working memory task, a trail‐making task, a vowel/consonant discrimination task, and a letter recognition task. Results of the Torrance test, trail‐making task and letter recognition task revealed decreases in cognitive abilities following sleep loss, although all tasks required less than 10 minutes to administer. The results of this study suggest that cognitive measures following sleep deprivation have not been adequately explored. Results support the hypothesis that sleep serves a function of cognitive restitution, particularly in the maintenance of attentional mechanisms.

A multivariate comparison between two EEG analysis techniques: Period analysis and fast fourier transform

The present study investigated the statistical correspondence between two frequently used methods of analysing tonic EEG activity: (1) period analysis and (2) Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs). For replication purposes, independent statistical analyses were carried out on the EEG of sleeping subjects and of awake subjects performing a cognitive task. From the results of two canonical correlations, the first two canonical variates were sufficient to account for 97% (awake group) and 99% (sleeping group) of the variance between the separate linear composites of all FFT and period analysis variables. Linear regressions of the 3 dependent measures generated by period analysis onto each respective FFT measure gave high and significant multiple correlations for all frequencies. Zero-order correlations were also gathered and discussed. It is concluded that period analytic and FFT analysed EEG share similar types of information and that period analysis can be used more often in EEG research.

The creation of self: Self-reflectiveness in dreaming and waking

(1994). The creation of self: Self-reflectiveness in dreaming and waking. Psychological Perspectives: Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 42-69.