Exploring the consequences of the diurnal preference on auditory spatial and working memory tasks

ABSTRACT The study aimed to investigate the impact of diurnal preference on auditory spatial and working memory. In the study, 87 participants with normal hearing, aged 19 to 26 y, were classified into morning, intermediate, and evening types using a questionnaire. The participants underwent a battery of spatial and working memory tests twice, in the morning and evening conditions, to examine within and across-group differences. The spatial tests included the virtual auditory spatial identification (VASI test), interaural differences in time (ITD) and level (ILD) tests, while the working memory tests included forward span and 2n-back tests. The results indicated a significant effect of diurnal preference on the test scores based on the time of test (p < 0.001), suggestive of enhanced performance during peak hours on both auditory spatial and working memory tests. The performance of morning and evening types peaked during their respective active biological cycles. These findings highlight the importance of considering diurnal preference when evaluating auditory spatial and working memory abilities and may have implications for scheduling cognitive tasks that require high levels of attention and concentration.