The Effects of Sitting Versus Standing on Attention and Focus in College Students: A Tetris-Based Performance Study
Faculty Mentor Name
Sharon West-Sell
Research or Creativity Area
Health Sciences
Abstract
Attention is a cognitive process that influences performance on tasks requiring sustained focus. Previous research has suggested that standing or alternating postures may improve attention, while other findings indicate no significant effect of body posture. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether body posture influences attention in college students by comparing performance in sitting and standing conditions using Tetris as a measure of visuospatial attention. This study helps clarify conflicting evidence on posture and attention by using a within-subjects design in a college-aged sample. Tetris requires sustained attention and visuospatial processing, making it a useful measure of attentional performance. Sixteen University of the Pacific students were recruited through flyers and word-of-mouth (age: 20.6 ± 1.95 years; height: 63.42 ± 1.63 inches; weight: 127.76 ± 19.81 pounds; mixed sex). Participants completed a 30-minute session playing Tetris in both sitting and standing conditions, with performance measured by total score and condition order counterbalanced. Desk height was recorded using the desk’s digital display. If a game ended early, participants restarted and continued playing for the full trial duration. Ultimately, there was no significant difference in performance between sitting and standing conditions, p = 0.477. Mean sitting score was 2342.50 ± 2922.09 points, and mean standing score was 2383.75 ± 2881.74 points, indicating high variability across participants. These findings suggest that body posture may not reliably influence attentional performance in college students, although the small sample size (n = 16) may limit statistical power. Instead, individual differences may play a more substantial role.
The Effects of Sitting Versus Standing on Attention and Focus in College Students: A Tetris-Based Performance Study
Attention is a cognitive process that influences performance on tasks requiring sustained focus. Previous research has suggested that standing or alternating postures may improve attention, while other findings indicate no significant effect of body posture. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether body posture influences attention in college students by comparing performance in sitting and standing conditions using Tetris as a measure of visuospatial attention. This study helps clarify conflicting evidence on posture and attention by using a within-subjects design in a college-aged sample. Tetris requires sustained attention and visuospatial processing, making it a useful measure of attentional performance. Sixteen University of the Pacific students were recruited through flyers and word-of-mouth (age: 20.6 ± 1.95 years; height: 63.42 ± 1.63 inches; weight: 127.76 ± 19.81 pounds; mixed sex). Participants completed a 30-minute session playing Tetris in both sitting and standing conditions, with performance measured by total score and condition order counterbalanced. Desk height was recorded using the desk’s digital display. If a game ended early, participants restarted and continued playing for the full trial duration. Ultimately, there was no significant difference in performance between sitting and standing conditions, p = 0.477. Mean sitting score was 2342.50 ± 2922.09 points, and mean standing score was 2383.75 ± 2881.74 points, indicating high variability across participants. These findings suggest that body posture may not reliably influence attentional performance in college students, although the small sample size (n = 16) may limit statistical power. Instead, individual differences may play a more substantial role.
