Circadian typology and style of thinking differences

The purpose of the present study aims to investigate the relationship between circadian typology and learning–thinking styles conceptualised as a preference toward information processing typical of the right vs. the left cerebral hemisphere. A sample of 1254 undergraduates (380 boys and 874 girls; mean age = 21.86 ± 2.37,) was administered the reduced version of the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (r-MEQ), which detects three chronotypes (morning-, intermediate- or evening-types), and the Style Of Learning And Thinking (SOLAT) questionnaire, conceived as a tool to measure the tendency toward the right-, integrated-, and left thinking. A two-way ANOVA on SOLAT scores with circadian typology and gender, as between-subjects factor, and age as covariant, showed that morning-types scored higher in the left-thinking scale than intermediate- and evening-types, and that evening-types obtained significant higher scores for right-thinking style than intermediate- and morning-types. This circadian typology effect was also confirmed by multiple regression.