University Presentation Showcase: Graduate Division
Everyday Life Factors that Affect Memory
Presenter Hometown
Lexington, KY
Major
Experimental Psychology
Department
Psychology
Degree
Graduate
Mentor
Adam L. Lawson
Mentor Department
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Kaseya, Hodavia T. B.S., "Everyday Life Factors that Affect Memory" (2023). University Presentation Showcase Event. 14.
https://encompass.eku.edu/swps/2023/graduate/14
Abstract
Working memory is the ability to maintain information in the brain for a short period while also completing complex tasks such as reasoning, learning, and comprehension. It is essential for everyday life and decision-making. Low levels of working memory would result in humans not being able to store long-term memories or recall those memories. High levels of working memory would result in the brain not resting as it needs to since it is kept busy. This study looked at how many words the participant can recall and whether stress, drug use, and sleep quality affect their memory. One hypothesis was that stress would be positively associated with memory performance. A second hypothesis was drug use would be negatively associated with memory performance. A third hypothesis was that sleep disturbances would be positively associated with memory performance. Fifty-four undergraduate psychology students enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University were recruited through the SONA system. They were asked to complete different surveys, which asked them questions about their stress level, drug usage, and sleep disturbances. Participants also participated in a memory task. The results showed that participants with stress did have a higher chance of sleep disturbance. And that those who experienced higher sleep disturbances presented lower memory recall. It was concluded that sleep disturbances decrease memory recall. One limitation was that each participant had different studying techniques.
Keywords: Working memory, stress, drug use, sleep disturbances, recall
Presentation format
Poster
Everyday Life Factors that Affect Memory
Working memory is the ability to maintain information in the brain for a short period while also completing complex tasks such as reasoning, learning, and comprehension. It is essential for everyday life and decision-making. Low levels of working memory would result in humans not being able to store long-term memories or recall those memories. High levels of working memory would result in the brain not resting as it needs to since it is kept busy. This study looked at how many words the participant can recall and whether stress, drug use, and sleep quality affect their memory. One hypothesis was that stress would be positively associated with memory performance. A second hypothesis was drug use would be negatively associated with memory performance. A third hypothesis was that sleep disturbances would be positively associated with memory performance. Fifty-four undergraduate psychology students enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University were recruited through the SONA system. They were asked to complete different surveys, which asked them questions about their stress level, drug usage, and sleep disturbances. Participants also participated in a memory task. The results showed that participants with stress did have a higher chance of sleep disturbance. And that those who experienced higher sleep disturbances presented lower memory recall. It was concluded that sleep disturbances decrease memory recall. One limitation was that each participant had different studying techniques.
Keywords: Working memory, stress, drug use, sleep disturbances, recall
