Effect Of Caffeine On Cognitive Functions Education Essay (Essay Sample)

Effect of Caffeine on Cognitive Functions
John M. Fredrick
Department of Psychology, Western University
PSY 404: Educational Psychology
Dr. James Watson
Eastern University
Effect of Caffeine on Cognitive Functions
The perception that human cognitive performance can be enhanced by caffeine has existed for a long time. Methodological challenges have always given rise to controversy since there exists no sample population which exclusively does not use caffeine. Caffeine is known to have both positive and negative effects on human health. It is necessary to establish whether caffeine is worth using.
Cognitive functions are mental processes that assist a person in carrying out any task. They involve memory, attention, executive functions, perception, language, and psychomotor functions (Nehlig, 2010). Caffeine is widely and habitually used by humans because of its arousal effects. Caffeine is present in most of the beverages e.g. soda, tea, coffee, and energy drinks. Caffeine acts as an enhancer on the level of vigilance, decreases reaction time, has a positive effect on the mood, and increased concentration and alertness. Caffeine helps in sustaining attention while undertaking demanding tasks. Caffeine stimulates or excites the brain and nervous system. There is a notable increase in performance whenever caffeine is administered except in learning and memory tasks (Wolde, 2014). It is important to find out whether these effects are universal to all humans, even non-habitual consumers of caffeine.