Changes in Working Memory Performance Over an Academic Semester in Student Pharmacists

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Pharmacy Education

Background:

• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students experience academic demands.
• Understanding cognitive performance fluctuations is crucial for student well-being and academic success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess changes in working memory in PharmD students over an academic semester.
• To investigate associations between working memory, stress, and fatigue.

Main Methods:

• Pilot study involving 23 PharmD students.
• Assessed working memory (operation span, symmetry span), stress, and fatigue at baseline and every four weeks.
• Utilized repeated measures ANOVA and correlation analysis.

Main Results:

• General working memory (operation span) showed a significant quadratic trend over time.
• Working memory performance was associated with fatigue.
• Fatigue correlated with the extraversion personality trait.
• Visuospatial working memory (symmetry span) showed no significant trends or correlations.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacy students' working memory performance can fluctuate during a semester.
• Fatigue may influence working memory in this population.
• Additional research is required to identify factors influencing these cognitive changes.