Turning molehills into mountains: Sleepiness increases workplace interpretive bias. (25th January 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Barber, Larissa K.; Budnick, Christopher J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of organizational behavior. Volume 36:Number 3(2015)
• Page Start: 360
• Page End: 381
• Publication Date: 2015-01-25
• Subjects: Industrial sociology -- Periodicals; Organizational behavior -- Periodicals; Psychology, Industrial -- Periodicals; 302.35
• DOI: 10.1002/job.1992
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0894-3796

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Summary</title> <p>Three studies draw from evolutionary theory to assess whether sleepiness increases interpretive biases in workplace social judgments. Study 1 established a relationship between sleepiness and interpretive bias using ambiguous interpersonal scenarios from a measure commonly used in personnel selection (<italic>N</italic> = 148). Study 2 explored the boundary conditions of the sleepiness–interpretive bias link via an experimental online field survey of U.S. adults (<italic>N</italic> = 433). Sleepiness increased interpretive bias when social threats were clearly present (unfair workplace) but did not affect bias in the absence of threat (fair workplace). Study 3 replicated and extended findings from the previous two studies using objective measures of sleep loss and a quasi‐experimental manipulation of minor sleep loss (<italic>N</italic> = 175). Negative affect, ego depletion, or personality variables did not influence the observed relationships. Overall, results suggest that a self‐protection/evolutionary perspective best explains the effects of sleepiness on workplace interpretive biases. These studies advance the current research on sleep in organizations by adding a cognitive "threat interpretation" bias approach to past work examining the emotional reaction/behavioral side of sleep disruption. Interpretive biases due to sleepiness may have significant implications for employee health and counterproductive behavior. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.</p> </abstract>