ABSTRACT
In the field of Neuroergonomics, scientists have obtained conflicting results regarding the effect of stress in forming short-term memory versus impairing it. The current study focused on the effect of gender differences among workshop trainees in a recall task. To accomplish the experiment, 120 (non-smoking) participants were recruited, consisting of 60 males and 60 females. The experiment was conducted in a university library (single room) and mechanical engineering laboratory. The experiment involved three stages. The first and second stages were held in a non-stressful situation in the library and the third stage was held in a stressful-situation in the mechanical engineering laboratory. Energy expenditure was evaluated for a recall task in each stage. Specifically, heart rate was measured via “oximeter finger pulse” twice per stage, once before the task and the second during task performance. Each heart rate measurement took approximately thirty seconds. Nicotine rate was also measured in order to determine non-smoking subjects “smokerlyzer.” Before conducting the experiment, a questionnaire was administered among students in order to determine an appropriate reward to motivate competition in the experiment.
The analysis of heart rate reactivity and recall task efficiency were accomplished through SPSS 18. The mean heart rate in base line and stress conditions per subject was calculated. Correlations and regression analysis were the methods of analysis.
Gender differences influenced heart rate reactivity during the mental task in baseline and stressful situations. Results demonstrated that males adapted faster than females in the stress situation. Results of the mental task also demonstrated stress decreased mental efficiency in females as compared to males.
