[Biological, behavioral and intellectual rhythms in pupils during the school-day]. 1996

H Montagner, and F Testu
Département de Pédopsychiatrie, CHU et CHR de Marseille, Hôpital Sainte-Marguerite, France.

We report in this paper the data separately collected for 15 years by the research teams of Montagner and Testu on the daily fluctuations of the periodical type and ultradian and circadian rhythms of biological, behavioural and mental variables which are or could be linked to or correlated with the fluctuations of intellectual activity in pupils throughout the school-day. The variables under study are the behaviours which are considered to be indicators of vigilance and non vigilance (arousal and drowsiness), corporal activation, heart rate, blood pressure, performances in tests of vigilance, targeted attention, spatial structuration and logical construction, and also in usual school tasks. Studies were carried out on different children populations at all ages (in this article we only report data on children attending primary school and partly kindergarten) in different French schools and, with regard to Testu's studies, several european schools in England, Germany and Spain. The main data collected by both teams are comparable in many respects: 1) the vigilance level and intellectual performances of pupils of all ages are weak or relatively weak at the beginning of the school activities, i.e. from 8 to 9 or 9:30 according to the studies and measured variables, as the biological constraints are not at a high level (heart rate and blood pressure); 2) the same items or patterns significantly increase throughout school time up to 11:30 or noon according to the studies with the exception of the 11:00-11:30 span in Montagner's research in children attending the first level of primary school, as the biological constraints decrease; 3) in most studies the vigilance level and intellectual performances are weak or relatively weak at the beginning of the school-time following the lunch, and the biological constraints are the strongest of the day (from 13:30 to 15:00) ; 4) the vigilance level and intellectual performances are always higher in the middle of the school-day (i.e. from 15:00 to 17:00) than at the beginning of the afternoon, and the biological constraints are weaker.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007360 Intelligence The ability to learn and to deal with new situations and to deal effectively with tasks involving abstractions.
D007858 Learning Relatively permanent change in behavior that is the result of past experience or practice. The concept includes the acquisition of knowledge. Phenomenography
D011597 Psychomotor Performance The coordination of a sensory or ideational (cognitive) process and a motor activity. Perceptual Motor Performance,Sensory Motor Performance,Visual Motor Coordination,Coordination, Visual Motor,Coordinations, Visual Motor,Motor Coordination, Visual,Motor Coordinations, Visual,Motor Performance, Perceptual,Motor Performance, Sensory,Motor Performances, Perceptual,Motor Performances, Sensory,Perceptual Motor Performances,Performance, Perceptual Motor,Performance, Psychomotor,Performance, Sensory Motor,Performances, Perceptual Motor,Performances, Psychomotor,Performances, Sensory Motor,Psychomotor Performances,Sensory Motor Performances,Visual Motor Coordinations
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D002652 Child Behavior Any observable response or action of a child from 24 months through 12 years of age. For neonates or children younger than 24 months, INFANT BEHAVIOR is available. Behavior, Child
D002675 Child, Preschool A child between the ages of 2 and 5. Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D002909 Chronobiology Phenomena Biological systems as affected by time. Aging, biological rhythms, and cyclic phenomena are included. Statistical, computer-aided mathematical procedures are used to describe, in mathematical terminology, various biological functions over time. Chronobiology Concepts,Chronobiology Phenomenon,Chronobiology Concept,Concept, Chronobiology,Concepts, Chronobiology,Phenomena, Chronobiology,Phenomenon, Chronobiology
D005602 France A country in western Europe bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel, the Mediterranean Sea, and the countries of Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the principalities of Andorra and Monaco, and by the duchy of Luxembourg. Its capital is Paris. Corsica,Saint Pierre and Miquelon,Miquelon and Saint Pierre,Miquelon and St. Pierre,St. Pierre and Miquelon
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths

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