Behavioral effects of upper respiratory tract illnesses: a consideration of possible underlying cognitive mechanisms

Smith, Andrew Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8805-8028 2012. Behavioral effects of upper respiratory tract illnesses: a consideration of possible underlying cognitive mechanisms. Behavioral Sciences 2 (1) , pp. 38-49. 10.3390/bs2010038

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Abstract

Previous research has shown that both experimentally induced upper respiratory tract illnesses (URTIs) and naturally occurring URTIs influence mood and performance. The present study investigated possible cognitive mechanisms underlying the URTI-performance changes. Those who developed a cold (N = 47) had significantly faster, but less accurate, performance than those who remained healthy (N = 54). Illness had no effect on manipulations designed to influence encoding, response organisation (stimulus-response compatilibility) or response preparation. Similarly, there was no evidence that different components of working memory were impaired. Overall, the present research confirms that URTIs can have an effect on performance efficiency. Further research is required to identify the physiological and behavioral mechanisms underlying these effects.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Upper respiratory tract illness ; Common cold ; Reaction time ; Alertness ; Working memory
Publisher:	MDPI Publishing
ISSN:	2076-328X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	14 May 2023 19:52
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/28879

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