Analysis of Cafe Preferences and Choices Compared to Other Drinks - Essay Example

? Coffee Intake-Is Coffee a Beverage or a Drug? The aim of this paper is to establish with the recent increase in coffee intake in many homes whether it is due from the benefits of the coffee or the dependency it creates in its users. It is to understand what leads an individual to take coffee and what he as an individual obtains from the coffee. The essence is to investigate using a sample study of different individuals of different ages; social standing and family ties what they derive from the coffee and what makes them prefer the coffee to any other beverage. Introduction Coffee has been popularly known as a brain stimulant whose progressive use causes addiction and an individual can develop a craving when in need. This is the dependence that occurs such that a person cannot work well without it or feel inadequate without it. This is because the caffeine in the coffee stimulates the brain, which registers when the coffee is taken and gets used to it such that when it lacks, it demands for some. Research reveals that coffee acts upon the prefrontal cortex thereby enhancing short-term memory as well as speeding up the response times (Vince, 2005). The author continues to point out that the caffeine modulates more brain function by impacting on unique areas of the brain. However, the effects of the caffeine differ from one individual to the other because of the varying tolerance (Harvey, 1999). Hence it is necessary to conduct the experiment because if the mind is affected, the conduct of the person is also bound to be influenced. A hypothesis is a statement developed by the researcher in the expected outcome (Krimmmer, 2008). The expected results are that the coffee consumers will have good effects at tender ages and adverse effects as they grow older. To develop this hypothesis people of different ages and different careers have been considered. The sample taken was to control variables like age differences so that the results could be established as statistically correct. The sample subjects were observed in a span of two months upon where they were allowed to go on with their normal lives. The consumers who took four to five cups of coffee were restricted to a maximum of five so that the inferences taken were on a more neutral ground. The theory to be explored here was the effects of coffee whether they were a myth or they were true. Coffee is calimed to have many side effects as the person ages (Harvey, 1999). Methods The sample study for this research involved ten individuals of different ages and social standing. The first five are people who took coffee everyday and the other five did not take coffee at all. These included two college students aged 23 years, 2 single individuals who were already working aged 27 years, two married individuals who were both working in real estate firms aged 40 years, two married individuals who worked in construction sites also at the age of 40 years and the last were two retired senior citizens aged 70 years. This was to have them in their normal environment and carry out a research on the how each set behaved in respect to the ones that took coffee and those that did not. The establishment of what advantage and disadvantage each group had over the other. The sample statistics obtained was generally studied over a period of one month where there behavioral patterns were taken into consideration and this formed the basis of the conclusion to be taken. The idea was to take the ten individuals in their normal routine lives and assess the way they functioned with the coffee intake or without. The aim was to see each set of two depending on their age and what they do for a living so that the effects of coffee can be established. All individuals were from different locations upon where it was considered no interference with each other so that the inferences were not compromised. The other was the age difference which was a variable that was taken into consideration so that the inferences age was not considered as the factor contributing to the inferences obtained. The variables in this experiment can be summed up to be the locality difference might slightly give the results to be somewhat different and thus this will bring about problems. The individuals who took coffee on a daily basis and others who did not take coffee at all were identified. The ones who took coffee were easily identified but the ones who did not take coffee were quite a task since most people take coffee on daily basis, especially the working class. Due to the rampant use of drugs and other substances, it is widely understood that the use of a substance over a prolonged period of time can cause dependency and coffee has such effects due to the caffeine intake (Maisto, Galizio & Connors, 2010). Thus the sampling was done in respect to people who have that kind of dependency and those who did not use it at all. The participants were all selected form different localities and underwent through a medical checkup so that they all were healthy. They were also checked if they attended an exercise program which most did at least twice a week so that they were all physically fit. They were observed for two months in their normal habitat and instructed to take a maximum of five cups of coffee a day so that they were somewhat at per. The measures taken were that the participants though from the same town the locality was the different to avoid influencing each other in terms of the results obtained. They were also supposed to have three balanced meals in a day so that the results were not affected by their health. They were also supposed to exercise at least twice a week so that they were physically fit. Both groups were told to refrain from taking any brain stimulating substance like alcohol and drugs so that the results were not affected. The extraneous are factors other than the independent variables that may affect the results of the experiment (Shepherd, 2004). The extraneous factors in the experiment result from dealing with different individuals who act totally different from the way they are expected and thus will affect the test results. The behavior of individuals can be controlled since they will after some time break the rules. Also in terms of health, we cannot say that a person will be healthy throughout the experiment and if one of them falls sick, this might be the reason the test results become compromised. Plan for Analysis The statistical method used is descriptive through the use of graph, which will determine if dependency increases with age so that then coffee can be termed as a drug or a beverage. x- Age y-degree of dependency The graph above shows below age forty, coffee is taken more of a beverage and not as a drug but beyond there the levels of caffeine in the body accumulate the caffeine and then it is more of a drug rather than a beverage. The degree of dependency reaches at a point it has to be sustained. The expected results are supposed to be: a). the coffee consumers in the morning will appear more energized and will be more active when they take coffee. This is because coffee acts as brain stimulant and gives energy to an individual once they take it (Kingster, 2001). b) The younger participants were all healthy despite their coffee intake. This is because the coffee had not become a necessity in their body. The results obtained in any experiment are bound to have errors and the reason for error for this particular research can be because of the following reasons: first, for the period of observation some people are bound to skip a meal and thus their eating habits will vary affecting the experiment. Second, is that the time frame given one of the test subjects might indulge in alcohol or even take drugs to treat a common flu or headache, which will also give an error in the experiment. Last is that since the environment is different, the test subjects might have different factors affecting their way of living and thus will have different results. The errors are bound to occur since not all test subjects follow the instructions due to factors beyond their control (Minds, 2000). The type I error will occur if in the first place the test subjects were not appropriate for the experiment. Maybe their health issues were not fully comprehended or they will not follow instructions as expected. The experiment results could have been made better by keeping the research sample individuals in a controlled environment for a given period of time like six months to ensure that the intake of coffee was regularized and measured. The power of an experiment can be increased by controlling the variables so that they work to the advantage of the uniformity of the experiment on the test subjects (Simson, 2001). Every research has its own variables that can change at any one time affecting the results. It is the work of the researcher to ensure the variables have measures taken upon so that they do not change unnecessarily affecting the results of the experiment. The results might actually be more confusing than rewarding if the test subjects are not put in a control environment, which will show significant difference in the results obtained. This can be due to errors, lack of controlling extraneous factors as well as the experiment being done on the wrong test subjects (Micks, 2001). Conclusion The test subjects did not fully comprehend the experiment and they compromised the results. The different careers each person took determined how much time they had to take coffee and the busier they were the more they had less time to take coffee. The test subjects were totally wrong for the experiment while the experiment was done with minimal resources and it required more resources to be deployed to ensure the results were as expected. The scope of the experiment was limited to a small test sample and thus the results were not conclusive. References Harvey, J. (1999). Effects of coffee. Chicago: Preable Publishers. Kingster, M. (2001). Advantages of coffee. New York: New Inventors. Krimmmer, H. (2008). Research Hypothesis. Chicago: Chicago publishing press. Micks, H. (2001). The test subjects. Getting the best test subjects , 5-12. Minds, H. (2000). Experimental feeding. Perfect Health Achievable or not? , 1-6. Shepherd, M. (2004). Factors in an experiement-Research at its best. London: Hardy publishers. Simson, F. (2001). Research Results determinants. London: Forward Publishers. Maisto, A. S., Galizio, M., & Connors, J. G. (2010). Drug abuse and use. USA: Cengage Learning Vince, G. (2005). Coffee’s effects revealed in brain scans. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8401-coffees-effects-revealed-in-brain-scans.html Read More