Stress and Working Memory
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Authors
Chapman, Brittney
Conner, Sam
Bjornson, Anika
Keeley, Patrick
Nelson, Jared
Date of Issue
2024
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Subject Keywords
Other Titles
Abstract
Previous research suggests physical stress has an impact on a person’s memory. In order to better illustrate the impact, this study focuses on the link between stress and auditory working memory. Working memory describes the ability to take in information, hold it for a short period of time, and then utilize that information on a subsequent task. Deficits in this specific type of memory can impact a person’s ability to follow directions and maintain conversation, along with other components of daily functioning. In the classroom, this can appear as having difficulties finishing assignments with many steps or having trouble remaining engaged during a lecture. During the study, participants (N=43) were divided into two groups. One group was exposed to stress (plunged their hand into an ice bath), while the other group was not administered any stress. Both groups were read a list of words from the Deese, Roediger, and McDermott (DRM) task and after 15 seconds were asked to write down as many of the words as they could remember. The mean number of words remembered by each group was compared and results showed the ice bath had a significant effect on the participants' auditory working memory. These observations add to the body of research regarding the negative effects of stress on working memory.