The Effects of Food Deprivation on Concentration and Perseverance of Students
THE EFFECTS OF FOOD DEPRIVATION ON
CONCENTRATION AND PERSEVERANCE OF STUDENTS Karlo F. Vertucio
Pateros Catholic School
EFFECTS OF FOOD DEPRIVATION 2 ABSTRACT
This paper examined the effects of short-term food deprivation on two cognitive abilities
—concentration and perseverance. For this purpose, we used surveys, researches and
tests to come up with a firm result of the case. Students (N-30) were tested on both a
concentration task and a perseverance task after one of three levels of food deprivation: none,
12 hours, or 24 hours.
We predicted that food deprivation would impair both concentration scores and perseverance
time. Food deprivation had no significant effect on concentration scores, which is consistent
with recent research on the effects of food deprivation (Green et al., 1995; Green et al., 1997).
However, participants in the 12-hour deprivation group spent significantly less time on the perseverance task than those in both the control and 24-hour deprivation groups,
suggesting that short-term deprivation may affect some aspects of cognition and not others.
This study is made to explore certain theories about the matter, which will be of great help to all concerned. EFFECTS OF FOOD DEPRIVATION 3
THE EFFECTS OF FOOD DEPRIVATION ON CONCENTRATION AND PERSEVERANCE OF STUDENTS
Many things interrupt people’s ability to focus on a task: distractions, headaches, noisy environments, and even psychological disorders. To some extent, people can control the environmental factors that make it difficult to focus. However, what about internal factors, such as an empty
CONCENTRATION AND PERSEVERANCE OF STUDENTS Karlo F. Vertucio
Pateros Catholic School
EFFECTS OF FOOD DEPRIVATION 2 ABSTRACT
This paper examined the effects of short-term food deprivation on two cognitive abilities
—concentration and perseverance. For this purpose, we used surveys, researches and
tests to come up with a firm result of the case. Students (N-30) were tested on both a
concentration task and a perseverance task after one of three levels of food deprivation: none,
12 hours, or 24 hours.
We predicted that food deprivation would impair both concentration scores and perseverance
time. Food deprivation had no significant effect on concentration scores, which is consistent
with recent research on the effects of food deprivation (Green et al., 1995; Green et al., 1997).
However, participants in the 12-hour deprivation group spent significantly less time on the perseverance task than those in both the control and 24-hour deprivation groups,
suggesting that short-term deprivation may affect some aspects of cognition and not others.
This study is made to explore certain theories about the matter, which will be of great help to all concerned. EFFECTS OF FOOD DEPRIVATION 3
THE EFFECTS OF FOOD DEPRIVATION ON CONCENTRATION AND PERSEVERANCE OF STUDENTS
Many things interrupt people’s ability to focus on a task: distractions, headaches, noisy environments, and even psychological disorders. To some extent, people can control the environmental factors that make it difficult to focus. However, what about internal factors, such as an empty
References: and other studies made supported this. The purpose of this study was to test how different levels of food deprivation affect concentration on and perseverance with difficult tasks. We predicted that the longer people had been deprived of food, the lower they would score on the concentration task, and the less time they would spend on the perseverance task. In this study, those deprived of food did give up more quickly on the puzzle, but only in the 12-hour group. Thus, the hypothesis was partially supported for the perseverance task. However, concentration was found to be unaffected by food deprivation, and thus more quickly on the perseverance task because of their hunger produced by the food deprivation.