Table 1 shows data from a study of 24 shift workers. Each worker wore a monitor for one week. The researcher compared average sleep with reaction time on a ...
Question 1 Report
Table 1 shows data from a study of 24 shift workers. Each worker wore a monitor for one week. The researcher compared average sleep with reaction time on a driving simulator.
| Average sleep per night (hours) | Mean reaction time (ms) |
|---|---|
| 4.8 | 410 |
| 5.6 | 365 |
| 6.7 | 318 |
| 7.5 | 290 |
(a) Describe the relationship shown in Table 1. [2]
(b) Use the data to calculate the reduction in mean reaction time between 4.8 and 7.5 hours of sleep. [1]
(c) Explain why these data do not prove that lack of sleep causes slower reactions. [2]
Answer Details
(a) As sleep duration increases, reaction time decreases [1]. Workers with more sleep responded faster [1]. (b) 410 - 290 = 120 ms [1] (c) This is a correlation [1]. A third variable, such as caffeine intake / work stress, could affect both sleep and reaction time [1].
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