Table 4.
Cognitive performance: results of math and spelling tests before and after the 4-h workplace examination in 39 subjects without mask (NM) and with three different mask types.
| Mask type | Math test before | Math test after | Spelling test before | Spelling test after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Correct answers, n (%) | ||||
| NM | 2683 (74%) | 2851 (79%) | 3046 (82%) | 2835 (80%) |
| SM | 2520 (69%) | 2623 (72%) | 2914 (80%) | 2925 (81%) |
| CM | 2589 (71%) | 2729 (75%) | 2913 (80%) | 2923 (81%) |
| FFP2 | 2525 (70%) | 2723 (75%) | 2933 (81%) | 2907 (80%) |
| False answers, n (%) | ||||
| NM | 735 (20%) | 622 (17%) | 646 (18%) | 675 (19%) |
| SM | 855 (24%) | 804 (22%) | 662 (18%) | 677 (19%) |
| CM | 784 (22%) | 705 (19%) | 674 (19%) | 684 (19%) |
| FFP2 | 792 (22%) | 735 (20%) | 653 (18%) | 695 (19%) |
| Omissions, n (%) | ||||
| NM | 209 (6%) | 154 (4%) | 28 (1%) | 24 (1%) |
| SM | 252 (7%) | 200 (6%) | 51 (1%) | 25 (1%) |
| CM | 254 (7%) | 193 (5%) | 40 (1%) | 20 (1%) |
| FFP2 | 310 (9%) | 169 (5%) | 41 (1%) | 25 (1%) |
| Response time for correct answers [ms], mean ± SD | ||||
| NM | 4510 ± 1339 | 4327 ± 1356 | 3833 ± 1233 | 3745 ± 1243 |
| SM | 4603 ± 1361 | 4483 ± 1372 | 3898 ± 1268 | 3765 ± 1260 |
| CM | 4532 ± 1394 | 4371 ± 1432 | 3855 ± 1239 | 3711 ± 1239 |
| FFP2 | 4514 ± 1408 | 4320 ± 1401 | 3796 ± 1258 | 3662 ± 1231 |
| Response time for false answers [ms], mean ± SD | ||||
| NM | 5427 ± 1238 | 5251 ± 1277 | 4345 ± 1359 | 4253 ± 1355 |
| SM | 5453 ± 1240 | 5229 ± 1379 | 4529 ± 1348 | 4301 ± 1427 |
| CM | 5294 ± 1377 | 5088 ± 1449 | 4314 ± 1354 | 4258 ± 1384 |
| FFP2 | 5278 ± 1501 | 5087 ± 1510 | 4382 ± 1326 | 4209 ± 1343 |
The total numbers of tasks were 3,627 with each type of mask in each test (math and spelling).
NM no mask, SM surgical mask, CM community mask, FFP2 filtering face piece class 2.