All Conference Presentations, Performances and Exhibits

Caffeine and Mood

Location

Guzman Lecture Hall

Start Date

4-15-2016 4:30 PM

End Date

4-15-2016 5:30 PM

Student Type

Undergraduate

Faculty Mentor(s)

Afshin Gharib, Ph.D.

Presentation Format

Poster Presentation

Abstract/Description

Caffeine is one of the world’s most consumed substances and it has been shown to have many positive effects on the body and on psychological processes. For example, Dawkins et.al. (2011) showed that caffeine can increase alertness, concentration, and energy levels. In general, previous research on caffeine has shown that regular caffeine consumption can have positive effects on cognition. In the current research project the effects of caffeine are investigated to see if in addition to improving cognitive function it also has an effect on mood, similar to how sugar can affect mood through physiological changes that follow sugar consumption. Participants will be recruited through psychology classrooms in a small liberal arts university in northern California with faculty permission as well as through social media sites such as Facebook and Tumblr. There will be about 60 participants with approximately 20 males and 40 females, and with an age range of 18-50. Participants will be completing a short anonymous survey online by following a link sent to them via email. The survey will include non- identifiable demographic questions such as age, major, and gender. Participants will also complete the Caffeine Expectancy Questionnaire (Huntley and Juliano, 2011) a 47 item daily caffeine consumption measure to determine the average amount of caffeine consumed daily, and the Brief Mood Introspection Measure (Mayer and Gaschke, 1988) a 17 item measure of emotions which asks participants to rate certain emotions they may be feeling on a four point Likert scale. It is hypothesized that those participants who report a higher level of daily caffeine consumption will also have higher mood scores suggesting that regular caffeine use has a beneficial effect on overall happiness. Data collection and analysis will be completed by February 2016 and it is expected that the results will support the hypothesis.

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Apr 15th, 4:30 PM Apr 15th, 5:30 PM

Caffeine and Mood

Guzman Lecture Hall

Caffeine is one of the world’s most consumed substances and it has been shown to have many positive effects on the body and on psychological processes. For example, Dawkins et.al. (2011) showed that caffeine can increase alertness, concentration, and energy levels. In general, previous research on caffeine has shown that regular caffeine consumption can have positive effects on cognition. In the current research project the effects of caffeine are investigated to see if in addition to improving cognitive function it also has an effect on mood, similar to how sugar can affect mood through physiological changes that follow sugar consumption. Participants will be recruited through psychology classrooms in a small liberal arts university in northern California with faculty permission as well as through social media sites such as Facebook and Tumblr. There will be about 60 participants with approximately 20 males and 40 females, and with an age range of 18-50. Participants will be completing a short anonymous survey online by following a link sent to them via email. The survey will include non- identifiable demographic questions such as age, major, and gender. Participants will also complete the Caffeine Expectancy Questionnaire (Huntley and Juliano, 2011) a 47 item daily caffeine consumption measure to determine the average amount of caffeine consumed daily, and the Brief Mood Introspection Measure (Mayer and Gaschke, 1988) a 17 item measure of emotions which asks participants to rate certain emotions they may be feeling on a four point Likert scale. It is hypothesized that those participants who report a higher level of daily caffeine consumption will also have higher mood scores suggesting that regular caffeine use has a beneficial effect on overall happiness. Data collection and analysis will be completed by February 2016 and it is expected that the results will support the hypothesis.