Is there a link between the level or

quality of sleep and academic

performance?
Gilbert, Steven P. & Weaver, Cameron C. (2010). Sleep
Quality and Academic Performance in University Students:
A Wake-Up Call for College Psychologists. Journal of
College Student Psychotherapy, 24, 295-306

Main aim of the study

Gilbert and Weaver had the idea, that sleep was extremely important
for:
Memory recollection
Learning
Critical thinking.
They had realised that university students were the worlds worst people for
managing sleep and studying together.
They had an aim which was to:
Gather non-depressed students
Study their levels of sleep and;
Determine if the level of sleep they got had any adverse effects on their
studies.
Their hypothesis was that:
The amount of sleep would effect the students academic performance by
decreasing it.
This can be seen as correlational, as performance is decreased when hours
of sleep are decreased.

Who was tested?

(participants & provided information)
Non-depressed university students

557 undergraduate students of psychology

199 (35.7%) males; 358 (64.3%) females
Average age: 19.50 (SD = 2.02)
only 468 non-depressed (less than 25 GDI) => real objects of the study; 167 (35.7%) males,
301 (64.3%) females; average age = 19.46 (SD = 1.76)

Information provided:

Gender
Age
Grade point average (GPA) + number of their courses, defined as dropped, withdrawn, incomplete (DWI)
Depression Goldberg Depression Inventory (GDI) => 18-item self-report measure of depressive symptoms
six points Likert-type scale ranking depressive indications from 0 (not at all) to 5 (very much)
Quality of sleep Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) => 19-item self-report measure of quality of sleep over
the past month measures quality, latency, duration, habitual sleep efficiency (HSE), disturbance, medication
use, daytime dysfunction related to sleep = Global Sleep Quality Score (GSQ), 0 to 21 higher means
worse sleeping quality; actual hours of sleep x hours in bed

Who was tested?

(participants & provided information)
Participants:

Non-depressed university students

557 undergraduate students

of psychology
199 (35.7%) males; 358
(64.3%) females
Average age: 19.50 (SD =
2.02)
only 468 non-depressed (less
than 25 GDI) => real objects
of the study; 167 (35.7%)
males, 301 (64.3%) females;
average age = 19.46 (SD =
1.76)

Information provided:
Gender
Age
Grade point average (GPA) + number of their courses,
defined as dropped, withdrawn, incomplete (DWI)
Depression Goldberg Depression Inventory (GDI) =>
18-item self-report measure of depressive symptoms six
points Likert-type scale ranking depressive indications
from 0 (not at all) to 5 (very much)
Quality of sleep Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
=> 19-item self-report measure of quality of sleep over
the past month measures quality, latency, duration,
habitual sleep efficiency (HSE), disturbance, medication
use, daytime dysfunction related to sleep = Global
Sleep Quality Score (GSQ), 0 to 21 higher means worse
sleeping quality; actual hours of sleep x hours in bed

Evaluation of the article

The variables were significantly associated in the
predicted direction (there is a relationship between
them)
Correlation research -> X (poor quality of sleep) does
NOT cause Y (lower grade point average)
Existence of another variable (e.g. substance abuse)?
Significant gender difference in the sample and also in
the results
Only level 1 psychology students -> limits
generalizability