Prime Time? A Look At The Effects Of Circadian Mismatch On Stereotype Reliance

Stereotype-based decisions are formed as the result of employing various heuristics and biases, and they serve as a way to assess ambiguous situations and compensate for limited information processing. Research has demonstrated that during circadian mismatched (non-optimal) periods of the day cognitive resource availability is diminished. This study examined the influence of circadian arousal levels (particularly in mismatched conditions) on the tendency to use stereotypes in decision-making tasks. It was predicted that mismatch between chronotype (individual circadian preference) and time of day would correlate negatively with cognitive resource availability, thus increasing vulnerability to stereotype reliance. Participants were 59 Appalachian State undergraduates. The participants were administered an online survey consisting of the validated reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, the Epworth Sleep Scale, and a stereotyping task. Each subject participated in sessions at two different times of the day, with the sessions occurring approximately one week apart. Though the stereotype priming manipulation failed, results suggest that participants in adverse sleep or circadian states may have still relied on biases or heuristics when assessing guilt.