EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF FATIGUE ON COGNITIVE ANDVISUAL/PERCEPTUAL PERFORMANCE AT THE BEGINNING ANDEND OF EACH SHIFT IN A 12-HOUR FIVE-DAY ROTATINGWORKWEEK

摘要

The effect of cognitive and visual/perceptual fatigue on shift workers may not bethe same for non-shift workers since alternating shifts create enormousdisruptions to the circadian rhythms of the workers. The purpose of this study wasto measure the effect of fatigue induced by alternating shift schedules on shiftworkers’ cognitive and visual/perceptual performance at the beginning and end ofeach work shift during the workweek. The primary instrument used in this studywas the Automated Performance Testing System (APTS), which is a humanperformance measuring system containing eight various cognitive and temporalfactors tests. The findings suggested that cognitive performance at the beginningof the shift was significantly higher than at the end of the shift but similardegradations in visual/spatial performance were not found.