The impact of caffeine on short-term memory in post-secondary students

Douglas College student research poster submitted as partial requirement for Sport Science Applied Research 4256 course and presented at the Student Research Week 2021. Faculty sponsor to submit this poster to DOOR: Dr. Ken Anderson.

We investigated the effects of caffeine on short-term memory after a 30-minute absorption period and a 45-minute absorption period in post-secondary students. The study was conducted in a single-blind, placebo-controlled design. Participants who consented to participate in the study were asked to abstain from caffeine or food consumption 12 hours before data collection. Each participant was randomly assigned to a 30-min group and 45 min-group Participants were administered a 1000 IU dose of Vitamin D then after 30 minutes or 45 minutes short-term memory (STM) was evaluated through a Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Immediately after, participants were administered 200 mg of caffeine dosage then the same procedure was repeated. Of 10 participants, 5 were placed in the 30-min group and another 5 in the 45-min group. Mean values for 30 min groups for placebo and caffeine trials were lower than the 45-min group scores. The impact of 30 minute absorption period measured placebo scores measure higher than caffeine trials (p=0.69). The 45-minute absorption period measured placebo score higher caffeine scores (p=0.64). Finally, the 45-min versus 30-min absorption period measured higher scores for increased absorption period (p=0.74). Consistent with previous research, if consumed properly, caffeine can assist in improving the memory in post-secondary students however; taking into consideration, the dosage and peak time of the caffeine supplement would greatly influence the ability to perform well on the RAVLT.