EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE DEPRIVATION ON COMPLEX HUMAN FUNCTIONING

Twenty-five managers who reported an average daily caffeine consumptio n of 575 mg participated in two complex simulations. A double-blind cr oss-over design was employed to assess the effects of normal caffeine consumption versus caffeine deprivation upon seven validated measures of managerial effectiveness. Data from a Caffeine Withdrawal Questionn aire indicated discomfort upon deprivation. Systolic blood pressure in creased during ''normal'' caffeine consumption levels but fell quickly and remained lower during deprivation. Several measures of managerial performance indicated decreased effectiveness upon caffeine deprivati on. In contrast to prior research from simpler task settings, cognitiv e effectiveness (during complex task performance) was diminished. Howe ver, a measure of strategic performance which requires a relatively hi gh level of cognitive effort showed no impact of caffeine deprivation.