PSYC1111 NewHaven Ethical Use Of Cognition-enhancement Drugs Submit a 1 page paper presenting your position on the ethics essay. These questions might hel
PSYC1111 NewHaven Ethical Use Of Cognition-enhancement Drugs Submit a 1 page paper presenting your position on the ethics essay.
These questions might help you:
Are there times when cognition-enhancing drugs should always be used, such as when
someone has Alzheimer’s, and times when they should never be used, such as at the
request of a healthy person with a moderately high IQ? 1
Chapter 8: Thinking and Intelligence
On Ethics
Cognition-Enhancing Drugs
Is it ethical to enhance your brain function through drugs? Ethical objections to
cognition-enhancing (CE) drugs mainly fall into three categories: fairness, safety and
coercion.
Sam is middle-aged and starting to notice age-related memory loss. Sometimes he cannot
remember where he puts his keys. Sometimes, in the middle of a presentation at work, he
cannot think of the word he is looking for. Would it be acceptable for Sam to take
medication that prevents the normal slow loss of brain function? Few people would say
no.
Another concern is that cognitive enhancements may provide such an advantage that
people will be coerced into taking them: Parents will want their children to have every
advantage, teachers will find it much easier to teach “enhanced” students, employers will
want to hire employees who require less training, and so on. Eventually, anyone who
wants to compete for the best schools and best jobs will need to take them to be
competitive.
Many of us already use caffeine and sugar, chemicals that enhance memory and
performance. Many elementary school children take Ritalin to treat attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention-deficit disorder (ADD), but in some
school districts the proportion of boys taking it is greater than the highest estimates of the
prevalence of ADHD (Diller, Tanner, & Weil, 1996). In other words, children within the
range of normal behavior are being given a drug, the long-term side effects of which are
still unknown, to change their cognitive states. And it is being given to college students
as well. In 2001, the largest nationwide study done of college students in the United
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States found an average 6.9 percent lifetime nonmedical use of a prescription stimulant
for cognitive enhancement. The range varied widely from 0 to 55 percent (see Smith &
Farah, 2011), however: The strongest predictors of use were admissions criteria (the more
competitive the school, the more likely was the drug’s use), fraternity or sorority
membership (members were more likely to take it than nonmembers), and gender (males
were more likely to take it than females) (McCabe, Knight, Teter, & Wench, 2005).
A recent meta-analysis (Ilieva, Hook, & Farah, 2015), which had the goal of quantifying
the cognitive effects of these stimulants (amphetamine and methylphenidate) on cognitive
processes, found that the effects were no greater than that of exercise and less than that of
mindfulness meditation.
Perhaps the memory drugs being developed will appeal only to those suffering from
Alzheimer’s and age-related memory loss. To others, the side effects of an improved
memory might not be so appealing. After all, our brains’ capacity to forget, as well as
their capacity to remember, may have been honed through millions of years of evolution
and, thus, may serve vital purposes. Time may no longer heal all wounds if memories
stay as fresh as on the day they are forged. The memory of every embarrassing moment,
rejection, and faux pas may linger, affecting people’s sense of self.
Are there times when cognition-enhancing drugs should always be used, such as when
someone has Alzheimer’s, and times when they should never be used, such as at the
request of a healthy person with a moderately high IQ?
References
Diller, L. H., Tanner, J. L., & Weil, J. (1996). Etiology of ADHD: Nature or nurture?
American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 451–452.
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Ilieva, I. P., Hook, C. J., & Farah, M. J. (2015). Prescription stimulants’ effects on
healthy inhibitory control, working memory, and episodic memory: A meta-analysis.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 27(6), 1069–1089.
McCabe, S.E., Knight, J.R., Teter, & C.J., Wech. (2005). Non-medical use of prescription
stimulants among US college students: Prevalence and correlates from a national survey.
Addiction, 100, 96–106.
Smith, M. E., & Farah, M. J. (2011). Are prescription stimulants “smart pills”? The
epidemiology and cognitive neuroscience of prescription stimulant use by normal healthy
individuals. Psychological Bulletin, 137, 717–741.
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Ethics Discussion Questions
1. Adam is a good student in college, who considers intelligence, academic
achievements, and grades as very important. He has never been diagnosed with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but he finds that he is able to
concentrate and get work done much quicker and more efficiently when he takes
drugs prescribed to people with ADHD. Is it ethical for Adam to take these
cognition-enhancing drugs given that he has never been diagnosed with ADHD?
Concepts to Consider
•
Measures of intelligence (p. 295): Psychometric tests provide us with information
about achievement and aptitude. These are narrow, but widely used, measures of
intelligence that hold much weight for prospective employees and students.
•
Cognitive performance (p. 300): Mental processing speed and working memory
capacity are traditional indicators of intelligence.
•
Side effects: The side effects of drugs can be unpredictable, even when they are
correctly prescribed. If Adam does not have ADHD, the side effects could exceed
their normal intensity.
•
Fairness: Taking medication to enhance cognitive abilities provides an unfair
advantage over other students. Students are often compared to their peers, and
sometimes grading is curved, so that students’ final grades are relative.
•
Cognitive enhancers: Is taking substances such as coffee, energy drinks, and sugar
any different from taking ADHD medication?
2. What are the various factors that determine cognitive performance?
Concepts to Consider
•
Speed of mental processing (p. 300): Reaction time data suggest a relationship
between lower reaction times and high scores on intelligence tests.
•
Working memory and attention (p. 300): Attention links working memory and
general intelligence. Being able to attend only to relevant information and ignore
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distracting stimuli indicates higher cognitive abilities and is usually associated
with high scores on intelligence tests.
•
Evolutionary adaptations: Over times, human cognition has evolved and adapted
to changing circumstances. Depending on the environment in which people are
raised, they maintain and develop some skills more than others.
•
Diet: Food and drink can affect cognitive performance in various ways. For
instance, dehydration and malnourishment can adversely impact cognition.
•
Sleep and motivation: Sleep plays an important role in our lives, and sleeping too
much or too little can impede cognitive functioning. Motivation drives our
thoughts and actions, and a lack of motivation can be detrimental to cognition.
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