Tiredness Scale
System Requirements
Minimum: 800×600
Recommended: 1024×768
Description
Two sleepiness scales: Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and Epworth-inspired Tiredness Scale
About This Test
This test implements two sleepiness assessment scales: **Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS):** A single-item 9-point scale measuring current sleepiness level, from '1 - Extremely alert' to '9 - Very sleepy, great effort to keep awake, fighting sleep; urgent need to sleep'. Participants rate how sleepy they feel right now by clicking on a vertical visual analog scale. **PEBL Tiredness Scale:** Inspired by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Participants rate how likely they would be to fall asleep in seven different everyday situations. Each situation is rated on a 21-point scale from 'Never' (would never fall asleep) to 'Almost certain' (would almost certainly fall asleep). The seven situations are: 1. Sitting and reading 2. Watching TV 3. Sitting, inactive in a public place (e.g., a theatre or a meeting) 4. As a passenger in a car for an hour 5. Lying down to rest in the afternoon 6. Sitting and talking to someone 7. In a car, while stopped for a few minutes in traffic Participants can complete either or both scales depending on parameters. Both use vertical visual analog scales with mouse/touch input.
Test Details
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Scientific Background
Original Task References:
These references describe the original task that this PEBL implementation is based on.
- Åkerstedt, T., & Gillberg, M. (1990). Subjective and objective sleepiness in the active individual. International Journal of Neuroscience, 52(1-2), 29-37.
- Johns, M. W. (1991). A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: the Epworth sleepiness scale. Sleep, 14(6), 540-545.
- Johns, M. W. (1992). Reliability and factor analysis of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Sleep, 15(4), 376-381.
Data Output
tiredness-{subnum}.csv
Data Columns
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| subnum | Participant ID |
| timestamp | ISO timestamp of test completion |
| KSS | Karolinska Sleepiness Scale rating (1-9, higher = more sleepy). 1=Extremely alert, 9=Very sleepy, fighting sleep |
| KSSTime | Response time for KSS rating in milliseconds |
| reading | Tiredness Scale: Likelihood of falling asleep while sitting and reading (1-21, higher = more likely) |
| tv | Tiredness Scale: Likelihood of falling asleep while watching TV (1-21, higher = more likely) |
| public | Tiredness Scale: Likelihood of falling asleep while sitting inactive in a public place (1-21, higher = more likely) |
| passenger | Tiredness Scale: Likelihood of falling asleep as a passenger in a car for an hour (1-21, higher = more likely) |
| lyingdown | Tiredness Scale: Likelihood of falling asleep while lying down to rest in the afternoon (1-21, higher = more likely) |
| talking | Tiredness Scale: Likelihood of falling asleep while sitting and talking to someone (1-21, higher = more likely) |
| incar | Tiredness Scale: Likelihood of falling asleep in a car stopped for a few minutes in traffic (1-21, higher = more likely) |
| average | Tiredness Scale: Average of the seven situation ratings |
| totaltime | Total response time in seconds for all scales |
Scoring and Interpretation
Tiredness Scale: The primary outcome is the average of the seven situation ratings, automatically calculated in the data file. The 21-point scale ranges from 1 (Never) to 21 (Almost certain to fall asleep). Higher scores indicate greater sleepiness/lower alertness.
Example Data
| subnum | timestamp | KSS | KSSTime | reading | tv | public | passenger | lyingdown | talking | incar | average | totaltime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P001 | 2025-11-02T14:30:15Z | 5 | 2453 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 18 | 4 | 10 | 10.3 | 45.2 |
| P002 | 2025-11-02T15:45:22Z | 7 | 3102 | 15 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 21 | 9 | 14 | 15.0 | 52.8 |
| P003 | 2025-11-02T09:15:33Z | 2 | 1845 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3.7 | 38.5 |
Sample data showing typical output format. Actual values will vary by participant.
About This Test
Two sleepiness scales: Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and Epworth-inspired Tiredness Scale
Category: Personality & Rating Scales
Estimated Duration: 3 minutes
Available Translations: 1 language
Documentation Sources:
Test description file, Test implementation, Parameter schema
Documentation Status: Complete