Chapter 5

In Chapter 5, what sparked my interest were the studies that talk about how performance depends on the right combination of effort, ability, and skill. An ability represents an individual’s characteristic to perform at their maximum level on mental and physical tasks. On the other hand, a skill is a specific capacity to physically manipulate objects. What is important to keep in mind is that sleep deprivation will put harm towards how one would perform their abilities, skills, and general competence. As an employee, you are expected to perform at your highest capabilities, so it is important you get a good night’s sleep. I found it interesting from the study where it talks about habitually sleep-deprived people. The book states, “Staying awake 24 hours impairs cognitive psychomotor performance to the same degree as having a 0.1 percent blood alcohol level.” This is above the legal limit of .08 to drive a car under the influence of others.

In the article, “Moderate Sleep Deprivation Produces Impairments in Cognitive and Motor Performance Equivalent to Legally Prescribed Levels of Alcohol Intoxication”, by Dr. A M Williamson, it further compares the relative effects on performance of sleep deprivation and alcohol. The test performed a study looking at same subjects with 28 hours of sleep deprivation. “After 17-19 hours without sleep, performance on some test was equivalent or worse than that at a BAC .05%.” The subject’s response speeds were also 50% slower and accuracy measures were lower than at this level of alcohol. After longer hours without sleep, performance reached the equivalent to BAC .1%. These results conclude that sleep deprivation is an important factor that can hinder your performance, speed, and accuracy. This information is important so as a manager you can stress the importance of a good nights sleep to your employees, and also this information helps individuals realize how important sleep is for their daily activities to have a maximum productivity.

Williamson, A. M. "Moderate Sleep Deprivation Produces Impairments in Cognitive and Motor Performance Equivalent to Legally Prescribed Levels of Alcohol Intoxication." Occupational and Environmental Medicine - BMJ Journals. Web. 04 Feb. 2010. .