Caffeine as Cognitive Enhancer Psychology Essay Research (Essay Sample)

CAFFEINE AS A COGNITIVE ENHANCER
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Cognition refers to the process of information processing and involves at least, memory, execution of functions, attention, perception, and psychomotor functions. Cognitive processes can be influenced naturally or artificially. Otherwise, they can be consciously or unconsciously affected. Caffeine does not usually affect cognitive functions but has inhibitory or facilitatory effects. This paper looks at the indirect effects of caffeine on cognitive functions.
Caffeine and Memory
Human memory can either be short-term (mostly known as working) memory, and long-term memory. The working memory is the conscious process through which people store information and occurs in brief intervals of time. In this type of memory, only limited information can be stored consciously. Working memory enables people to execute cognitive tasks. On the other hand, long-term memory has information stored over long durations of time. This information can then be accessed unconsciously and it becomes part of the working memory during task performance (Nehling, 2010).