Cognitive load, emotional states, and academic performance in Nutrition and Dietetics students
Keywords:
academic performance; cognitive load; cross-sectional studies; dietetics; emotions; students, health occupationsAbstract
Introduction: Higher education in health involves high cognitive demands and generates emotional states that may influence academic performance. It is necessary to understand how these factors affect the performance of Nutrition and Dietetics students, whose curriculum is structured along three disciplinary lines.
Objectives: To determine whether the cognitive load and emotional states associated with learning activities are related to academic performance across the disciplinary lines of Nutrition and Dietetics students.
Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational study, with a purposive sample of 145 students and 563 observations across 31 courses from three disciplinary lines. Cognitive load was assessed through a mental effort scale (1-9), emotional states through eight bipolar items (1-5), and performance through the grade obtained (1-7). Kruskal-Wallis tests and a multilevel regression model were applied, controlling for sex, type of assessment, and disciplinary line.
Results: Differences were observed between disciplinary lines in cognitive load (p < 0.001) and grade (p < 0.001). Students in nutritional intervention reported higher cognitive load (Mdn = 9) and lower grades (Mdn = 4.4) than those in entrepreneurship (Mdn load = 7; Mdn grade = 5.7). The multilevel regression identified cognitive load (B = -0.104; p = 0.008) and the tense/calm emotional state (B = 0.257; p < 0.001) as significant predictors of performance.
Conclusions: Cognitive load and the tense emotional state are significantly associated with academic performance in Nutrition and Dietetics students.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Manuela Zúñiga Salanova, Camila Caamaño Vargas, Andrea Rubio Albagnac, Raúl Piñuñuri Flores
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