Red Bull versus a Placebo: Tests of Reaction Time, Executive Functioning and Basic Motor Skills

A between participants design was employed to test for the effects of Red Bull on cognitive abilities in a placebo controlled experiment outside of a laboratory setting. A total of 49 volunteer participants took part and were randomly allocated to either the Red Bull (250ml’s) (N=15), placebo beverage (250ml’s) (N=20) or control group (no drink) (N=14). An online computerised experiment tested measures of reaction time, executive functioning and basic motor skills. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no significant differences in performance between the three groups in relation to any of the four variables. As such, for the current study the effects of Red Bull on reaction time, executive functioning and basic motor skills appear to be no greater than those achieved by a placebo or control group.