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Arctic cognition: a study of cognitive performance in summer and winter at 69 degrees NEvidence 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 degrees 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.
Document ID
20040119967
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Brennen, T.
(University of Tromso Norway)
Martinussen, M.
Hansen, B. O.
Hjemdal, O.
Date Acquired
August 22, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1999
Publication Information
Publication: Applied cognitive psychology
Volume: 13
Issue: 6
ISSN: 0888-4080
Subject Category
Behavioral Sciences
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: 11-Feb
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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