Sleep Restriction Increases Coordination Failure

Abstract

When group outcomes depend on minimal effort (e.g., work team, search and rescue, or indigenous hunt success), a classic coordination problem exists.  Using a well-established paradigm, we examine how a common cognitive state (insufficient sleep) impacts coordination outcomes.  Our data indicate that insufficient sleep increases coordination failure costs, which suggests that the sleep or, more generally, cognitive composition of a group might determine its ability to escape from a trap of costly miscoordination and wasted cooperative efforts.  These findings are first evidence of the potentially large externality of a commonly experienced biological state (insufficient sleep) that has infiltrated many societies.

About the presenter’s visit

Dr David Dickinson will be visiting the School of Economics on Monday 13^th May 2019.  While here he will be using room 520A Colin Clark Building.  If you would like to meet with him or have lunch or dinner with him please contact  A/Prof Lana Friesen who will be his host while at The University of Queensland.  A/Prof Friesen can be contact on l.friesen@uq.edu.au.