Doping to underperform: the impact of coffee consumption on test scores

We report results of an experiment that randomly distributed coffee and an herbal infusion with no caffeine to students before a non-experimental midterm (ie: with real incentives). Coffee consumption decreases test scores. This is driven by students who are not habituated to consume coffee and who self-report feeling nervous in similar tests. Regular coffee drinkers do not seem to benefit or lose from coffee consumption except if they are coffee-deprived the day of the exam (in which case they perform worse, consistent with the withdrawal reversal hypothesis).

• Autores: Santos Villagrán, Rafael José; González Arbeláez, Angela; López, Kevin; Páez López, Juan Andrés; Rivera, María Camila; Sarmiento Sandoval, Paula Juliana
• Tipo de recurso: Work document
• Fecha de publicación: 2018
• Institución: Universidad de los Andes
• Repositorio: Séneca: repositorio Uniandes
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:repositorio.uniandes.edu.co:1992/7861
• Acceso en línea: http://hdl.handle.net/1992/7861
• Palabra clave: Caffeine; Test-Scores; Cafeína - Efectos fisiológicos - Estudio de casos; Estudiantes - Calificación - Estudio de casos; Café - Consumo - Métodos estadísticos; A22, I12, I20
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/