Night work is associated with reduced levels of performance. Due to demographic change, the ability of over 50-year-olds to work at night is important for the employment market. Ageing is associated with decrements in both cognitive abilities and the capabilities of the visual system. This study focuses on the effects of exposure to bright light at night on selective and divided attention in elderly persons during three consecutive night shifts. After statistical control for neuroticism and intelligence as covariates, the results demonstrate that exposure to bright light at night reduced error rates for a divided attention task but performance on a selective attention task was unaffected.
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