January 30, 2026 | 10:30 a.m.
Room 421, Library Building, 2nd Floor (Online participation possible)

Register here

NICE_Lab is pleased to present NICE_Talk "Who performs better under pressure? The role of sleep, anxiety, and attention in the exam performance of medical, law, and economics students," which will take place on January 30 at 10:30 a.m. in person at the Lisbon Campus of the Portuguese Catholic University (Room 421, Library Building), with the possibility of online participation.

Carina Ferreira, Master in Neuropsychology, will present her work entitled “Who performs better under pressure? The role of sleep, anxiety, and attention in the exam performance of medical, law, and economics students,” recently published in the scientific journal Trends in Higher Education.

Topic: Who performs better under pressure? The role of sleep, anxiety, and attention in the exam performance of medical, law, and economics students

This session will be dedicated to the area of Mind, Brain, and Education.

Abstract of the oral presentation

This presentation will focus on a study examining the role of sleep quality, anxiety, and executive attention in academic performance during examination periods, based on a sample of students from Medicine, Law, and Economics. The talk will highlight key findings revealing distinct cognitive and emotional profiles across academic disciplines, as well as the negative impact of poor sleep quality and heightened anxiety on exam performance. The presentation will also discuss the implications of these results for understanding performance under pressure and for informing discipline-sensitive institutional strategies aimed at supporting student well-being and academic success in higher education.