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State-dependent memory effects using caffeine and placebo do not extend to metamemory.
William L Kelemen1, Catherine E Creeley
1Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, USA. wkelemen@csulb.edu
The Journal of General Psychology
|March 15, 2003
Summary
Caffeine can create state-dependent memory, meaning recall is better when you consume caffeine in the same state (study or test) for both. However, caffeine did not improve memory predictions.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Caffeine is a widely consumed psychoactive substance.
- Its effects on memory and metamemory require further investigation.
- State-dependent learning suggests recall is enhanced when learning and retrieval states match.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of caffeine on human memory recall.
- To examine caffeine's effect on memory predictions (metamemory).
- To determine if caffeine induces state-dependent memory or metamemory.
Main Methods:
- 83 college students participated in a two-day study.
- Participants consumed either caffeine (4 mg/kg) or a placebo before studying word pairs.
- Memory recall and predictions were assessed after consistent or varied beverage consumption across days.
Main Results:
- Recall was significantly higher when participants consumed the same beverage (caffeine or placebo) on both days.
- Memory prediction accuracy improved when beverage consumption differed between the two days.
- Evidence supports state-dependent memory but not state-dependent metamemory with caffeine.
Conclusions:
- Caffeine consumption can lead to state-dependent memory effects.
- Metamemory accuracy is not subject to the same state-dependent effects as memory recall.
- The timing of caffeine intake (study vs. test) differentially impacts memory and its prediction.