Sid is taking part in research on the effects of sleep deprivation; he has been without sleep for 75 hours. Right now researchers have asked him to sit in front of a computer screen and hit a button each time he sees the letter S on the screen. A few days ago, Sid was a whiz at this task; however, he is doing very poorly today. How are sleep researchers likely to explain Sid's poor performance?
A) Due to the sleep deprivation, Sid does not understand the task.
B) Microsleeps are occurring due to the sleep deprivation and he is asleep for brief periods of time.
C) He is determined to ruin the research because of the suffering he is enduring at the hands of the researchers.
D) He is probably dreaming that he is somewhere else and has no interest in responding to the "here and now."

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sleep deprivation may cause microsleeps, which are brief periods of sleep that happen when a person is trying to stay awake. During these microsleeps, the person may miss important information or lose concentration, leading to poor performance on tasks that require attention and quick reactions such as hitting a button when a specific letter appears on a computer screen.

Sid Is Taking Part in Research on the Effects of Sleep