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Differential effects of Ecstasy and cannabis on self‐reports of memory ability: a web‐based study
Author(s) -
Rodgers J.,
Buchanan T.,
Scholey A. B.,
Heffernan T. M.,
Ling J.,
Parrott A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.345
Subject(s) - ecstasy , psychology , prospective memory , mdma , retrospective memory , cannabis , cognition , dissociation (chemistry) , episodic memory , childhood memory , psychiatry , chemistry
Given the legal status of MDMA (3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine), or Ecstasy, face‐to‐face access to participants is sometimes difficult. The number of participants in studies of cognitive performance amongst Ecstasy users is variable, with the average being around 30. Access to a larger number of participants is clearly desirable. The present investigation accessed a larger sample size using a web‐based design. A website was developed and used for data collection. Prospective memory ability was assessed using the Prospective Memory Questionnaire. Self‐report of day‐to‐day memory performance was investigated using the Everyday Memory Questionnaire. The Drug Questionnaire assessed the use of other substances as well as Ecstasy, allowing a regression design to isolate the contribution of each substance to any variance on the cognitive measures. Preliminary findings ( N = 488) indicate that there is a clear double dissociation between the impact of Ecstasy and cannabis. We found that cannabis was associated with reports of ‘here‐and‐now’ cognitive problems in short‐term and internally cued prospective memory. In contrast, Ecstasy was associated with reports of long‐term memory problems, which were more related to storage and retrieval difficulties. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.