Example
2024…
Class 62
The Effect of Caffeine on Cognitive Abilities
1. Introduction
Throughout history, as caffeine beverages have become a larger part of people’s lives,
knowing the effect it causes to the human body has been considered essential. Caffeine is the
most universally used stimulant in the world and it has been said to increase concentration,
energy, and long-term memory. However, excessive consumption can cause insomnia,
depression, and possibly death [1]. For example, a 16-year-old student died from a cardiac issue
causing a dangerous arrhythmia due to caffeine overdose [2]. Likewise, there have been several
cases in which people did not fully understand the appropriate amount of caffeine they should
be obtaining, which has led to fatal accidents. In conclusion, not only knowing the function of
caffeine is important but knowing the pertinent amount to intake is also needed.
Experts have conducted considerable amounts of experiments focusing on the
relationship between cognitive abilities and caffeine. In one study, there were two groups of
people where one group received a 250-milligram caffeine tablet, and the other received the
same amount of placebo [3]. Requesting them to find the difference between similar items, the
result showed that caffeine may enhance the capability of the brain to differentiate subtle
differences. Moreover, specialists are studying how the brain evokes this improvement in an
effort to solve brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease [4]. In short, investigation related to
cognitive abilities and caffeine is being studied actively.
Though there are various studies that show how caffeine affects cognitive ability, they
are mostly focused on memory. However, in order to give people accurate information about
adequate caffeine intake, there should be investigations in various aspects of cognitive abilities
such as numeracy skills. This experiment aims to determine the effect of caffeine on cognitive
abilities by solving 10 math problems a day, having drinks with caffeine and no caffeine for
five days each. The result of this experiment is expected to give aid to students regarding
adequate caffeine consumption.
2. Methodology
A numeracy app (Ninimaths), a tablet, five cans of coffee containing 94 mg of caffeine,
a timer, a note in a tablet, and a charger were prepared. The numeracy app was set to present
10 math questions randomly. The problems were composed of addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division. Operations between two two-digit numbers were set to come out
for addition and subtraction, and two one-digit numbers were set for multiplication. Lastly,
problems with a two-digit number and a one-digit number were customized to be presented in
division. Before starting each test, the timer was set to zero, and the tablet was always fully
charged with a charger. Also, the five cans of coffee were all the same brand having 94 mg of
caffeine.
During the 10 days, the experiment was always conducted at 10 pm. In the first five
days, the project progressed without coffee. After turning on the tablet and accessing the
numeracy app, the timer was initialized. As soon as the start button in the bottom center of the
app was pressed, the timer was started simultaneously. The answers of the 10 problems were
entered on a keypad, which the app provided on the screen. Finishing the questions, the timer
was stopped at the same time, and the time taken was recorded on a note in the tablet. For the
next five days, the experiment was conducted while consuming coffee approximately thirty
minutes before answering the problems, and the remainder of the process was the same as
before.
3. Results
This table has information about the times recorded during each day of the experiment.
(TABLE I). The times are rounded to the nearest tenth of a second, and have been juxtaposed
to directly compare results based on the existence of coffee.
TABLE I
OBSERVATIONS OF NUMERACY SKILLS FROM CAFFEINE BEVERAGES
Existence of Coffee/Time(s)
Day Without Coffee With Coffee
Day 1 20.31 18.23
Day 2 21.98 14.18
Day 3 20.43 16.56
Day 4 23.92 16.08
Day 5 20.51 14.83
The result of the table shows that the time taken from Day 1 to Day 5 was always shorter when
coffee was consumed thirty minutes prior to completing the problems.
This figure shows the average time it took to solve the equations in the quiz, by adding
all the time from Day 1 to Day 5, then dividing it by five (Figure 1). In this way, the effect that
the variable had on the experiment over five days can be directly compared and summarized.
25
Average Time(s)
20
15
10
5
0
Without Coffee With Coffee
Existence of Coffee
Fig. 1. Average Time(s) took depending on the existence of coffee.
As a result, it can be seen that the existence of coffee yielded shorter times by an average of
5.45 seconds.
4. Discussion
Throughout the data it could be inferred that caffeine probably improves cognitive
abilities, considering the shorter average time taken. Therefore, it is estimated that caffeine
likely stimulates the brain, giving a benefit to calculation skills. The average time recorded
between having coffee and not having coffee showed approximately a five-second difference
in time-solving problems, and this result is believed to be due to the arousal effect. In previous
studies, experiments have shown that caffeine can enhance the brain and cause slight
enhancements in cognitive performance. Likewise, since this experiment shows that caffeine
can improve calculation skills, it can be inferred that caffeine helps enhance cognitive abilities.
Before starting the project, the expectation was that it would take less time when coffee was
consumed because people usually drink caffeinated beverages to increase efficiency while
working. In the end, the result derived the same way as the expectation.
5. Conclusion
This experiment was conducted to determine how caffeine affects cognitive abilities by
comparing the time it takes to solve 10 math problems a day for five days. During each of the
five days, the time taken was always shorter after coffee was consumed. Thus, the result shows
that caffeine probably has a positive effect on calculation skills. In the future, experimenters
might consider changing the drinks by the amount of caffeine included to find out the optimal
amount of caffeine that brings maximum efficiency while working. Such an experiment could
be a logical next step in building a more comprehensive view regarding the relationship
between caffeine and cognitive ability.
6. References
[1] P.M. Brown, MedicalNewsToday, “What does caffeine do to your body?,” Jul. 24, 2023.
[Link] (accessed Mar. 27, 2024).
[2] J. Lynch and D. Goldschmidt, CNN, “Teen dies from too much caffeine, coroner says,”
May. 16, 2017. [Link]
(accessed Mar. 27, 2024).
[3] L. Valladares et al., “Effects of Caffeine on Cognitive Tasks,” July, 2009.
[Link]
[Link]?t=op2l6n (accessed Mar. 27, 2024).
[4] L. Gatlin, “Caffeine has positive effect on memory, Johns Hopkins researchers say,” Jan.
13,2014. [Link] (accessed Mar. 27,
2024).