Not being well-rested can be dangerous for those whose jobs require quick reactions, researchers say
(HealthDay News) — Sleep-deprived people may put themselves and others at risk when they need to make split-second decisions, U.S. researchers have found.
The study, which included 49 U.S. military cadets, looked at how sleep deprivation affected information-integration, a process that relies heavily on instantaneous, gut-feeling decisions.
“It’s important to understand this domain of procedural learning because information-integration — the fast and accurate strategy — is critical in situations when soldiers need to make split-second decisions based about whether a potential target is an enemy soldier, a civilian or one of their own,” Todd Maddox, a psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a university news release. Read more…
