Vigilance et cognition : approche chronopsychologique de l'attention
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Abstract EN:
The research presented here must be considered as part of a vast collection of studies in the field of chronopsychology. It deals mainly with the ultradian, circadian and infradian fluctuations of certain cognitive activities such as attention, but also with trying to determine when they appear and to define their developmental evolution. Although all infants do not seem to apprehend their own environment in the same way, one should also note that the timing of this activity is in no way accidental : it belong to a cyclical process which progressively takes shape with development. Beside the various biological rythms evidenced in man, many environmental factors have been proved to vary on a peridical basis and to be likely to influence biological rhythms - the day night alternation, for instance, seems to play an essential part in the ins- tallation of certain circadian rhythms -. Numerous studies have demonstrated the existence of correlation between the variability of behaviors and that of physiological variables, and also the influence of environ- ment of these variations. How earlyin development can these phenomena be observed? what effect do these variations have on the development of cognitive activities ? other experiments have pointed out that bio- logical rhythms, vigilance, behaviour and cognitive ability often differ from one individual to the other. These differences being particularly obvious at the time of schooling. Could these individual differences be observed earlier ? how do they evolve in later stages of childhood ? can they be attributed to any de- finable processes ? a first study dealing with the effect of postnatal stimulations on preterm infants has made it possible to demonstrate that environmental changes led to changes in the maturation of the sleep waking cycle, and consequently influenced the development of cognitive studies.
Abstract FR:
Le travail ici presente s'insere dans un vaste ensemble de recherches en chronopsychologie. Il s'est principalement interesse aux fluctuations ultradiennes, circadiennes et infradiennes de certaines activites cognitives telles que l'attention, mais il tente aussi d'en saisir l'apparition et l'evolution dans le temps. Si tres tot apparaissent des disparites entre les bebes quant a leur facon d'apprehender l'environnement, on constate encore que, de plus, les periodes privilegiees pour l'apparition d'une observation "efficace" ne se manifestent pas de facon aleatoire, a n'importe quel moment : elles font partie integrante d'un processus cyclique qui s'organise au fur et a mesure de l'evolution. A cote des divers rythmes biologiques mis en evidence chez l'homme, on constate que de nombreux facteurs de l'environnement, non seulement varient aussi de facon periodique, mais de plus sont susceptibles d'in fluencer les rythmes biologiques ( par exemple l'alternance jour-nuit semble jouer un role preponderant dans la mise en place de certains rythmes circadiens ). Or de nombreuses recherches ont mis en evidence d'une part l'existence de correlations entre la variabilite des comportements et celle des variables psychologiques, et d'autre part l'influence jouee par l'environnement sur ces variabilites. A partir de quand, au cours de la genese, ces phenomenes sont-ils observables ? quelles repercussions ces variabilites ont-elles sur l'evolution des activites cognitives ? d'autres travaux enfin ont releve de frequentes differences individuelles de rythme, de vigilance, de comportement, de niveaux de connaissance, celles-ci apparaissant avec le plus de pregnance au moment de la scolarisation. Ces differences peuvent-elles etre percues precocement ? comment evoluent-elles avec l'age ? peut-on determiner certains processus auxquels elles sont attribuables ?