Cognitive enhancers 2

Question 1

Methylphenidate

Answer 1

Improves ability to resist distraction
Impairs ability to flexibly update items currently held in working memory

Question 2

Effects of alcohol

Answer 2

Less attentional control and less focused attentional state due to intoxication
Alcohol facilitates creative problem solving

Question 3

Overconfidence

Answer 3

Some cognitive enhancers have led to overconfidence, causing
participants to overestimate their cognitive abilities (Baranski et al.
2004). This could potentially result in unnecessary risk-taking and
dangerous situations if we require soldiers or surgeons to use these
drugs.
* During sustained sleep deprivation (4 days): modafinil maintains
wakefulness, but not attention and executive functioning (Repantis et
al. 2010)

Question 4

Explicit vs implicit

Answer 4

Parents employers etc

Keep up with demands of society

Question 5

Ethical concerns

Answer 5

Fairness vs equality
Enhancement vs therapy
Moral acceptability

Question 6

Conclusion

Answer 6

1. Cognitive enhancers can be used to promote prolonged wakefulness and to
   enhance long-term memoryand attention;
2. Evidence for enhancent of executive functioning (working memory and
   cognitive control) is mixed;
3. In sleep deprived participants, strong positive effects of CE’s on executive
   functioning, memory and wakefulness can be obtained;
4. Effects of CE’s might be underestimated;
5. Future studies need to pay closer attention to baseline differences, genotype,
   dose, task difficulty and task novelty;
6. The effects of cognitive enhancers might be fundamentally limited by
   baseline dependency and trade-offs;
7. Cognitive enhancers raise serious ethical concerns