Investigating how mental tiredness affects cognitive abilities in young adults

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore how mental tiredness affects the cognitive abilities of young adults across several dimensions, including working memory, attention, reaction time, cognitive effort, and motivation. A quantitative within-subject experimental design was used, in which participants completed the same set of cognitive tests under two conditions: rested and mentally fatigued. The study included 13 participants aged between 18 and 25 years. Data were collected using Inquisit 6 Web Edition, and incomplete or invalid responses were excluded from the final analysis. The results indicated that mental tiredness did not have a statistically significant impact on participants’ cognitive performance across the measured domains. However, due to the small sample size, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Overall, the study suggests that, within the limitations of this research, mental fatigue may not strongly influence cognitive performance in young adults.