Timing matters! Academic assessment changes throughout the day

Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 16, pp. 1605041

Abstract

The influence of timing on decision-making processes has garnered significant attention across various domains, yet its impact on academic assessment remains under investigated. While previous research has suggested time-of-day effects on judicial decisions, methodological limitations have restricted the generalizability of these findings. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of 104.552 oral exams conducted at an Italian university, revealing a robust relationship between exam timing and academic outcomes. Our results demonstrate a Gaussian distribution of passing rates throughout the day, with a significant peak at midday. This pattern persists after controlling for exam difficulty and other potential confounding factors, suggesting an intrinsic time-dependent bias in the evaluation process. Our findings not only corroborate previous research on the influence of timing on decision-making but also extend it to the realm of academic assessment. These results have profound implications for educational policy and practice, highlighting the need for strategic exam scheduling to optimize student performance and ensure equitable evaluation.

Authors 9

1. Carmelo Mario Vicario corresponding

   University of Messina

   Affiliation as printed

   Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy

2. Michael Andreas Nitsche

   Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany

3. Chiara Lucifora

   University of Bologna

   Affiliation as printed

   Dipartimento di Filosofia e Comunicazione, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

4. Pietro Perconti

   University of Messina

   Affiliation as printed

   Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy

5. Mohammad Ali Salehinejad Aachen Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Medical Faculty

   Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences · Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

   Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany

   School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran

6. Francesco Tomaiuolo

   University of Messina

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

7. Simona Massimino

   University of Messina

   Affiliation as printed

   Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy

8. Alessio Avenanti

   Catholic University of the Maule · University of Bologna

   Affiliation as printed

   Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari," Cesena Campus, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy

   Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences Research Center (CINPSI Neurocog), Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile

9. Massimo Mucciardi

   University of Messina

   Affiliation as printed

   Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy