Common Conceptions Flashcards
What are the common conceptions we explored in lectures?
Gateway drugs, the relationship between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and bed-sharing, and whether bonding with a newborn is harder after a Caesarian section (C-section)
What are gateway drugs?
They are drugs that, once tried, are believed to make it more likely the user will try stronger drugs.
What is a typical progression for gateway drugs?
Non-users usually start through consuming beer / wine -> smoking / hard liquor -> cannabis -> other illicit drugs. However, this may differ amongst ethnicities or countries.
According to Chen et al. (2002), which ethnicity which has smoked previously are more likely to drink?
The whites who have smoked previously are 5.82x more likely to have drunk alcohol in the last 30 days compared to white non-smokers.
How did old cigarette companies advertise smoking?
They portrayed doctors smoking cigarettes, which led people to believe it was healthy and de-stressing, since health practitioners smoked.
What did Torabi et al. (1993) find out about teens who smoke a pack or more a day?
They were 10 - 30x more at risk to use illegal drugs.
What did the US Department of Health realise about young daily smokers?
They were 114x more likely to have used cannabis at least 11 times, compared to non-smokers.
What are the 3 propositions of the gateway hypothesis?
Sequencing (where 1 substance is initiated before the next), association (1 substance increases the likelihood of 2nd substance) and causation (use of 1st substance CAUSES use of 2nd substance).
In what 4 ways are gateway drugs like nicotine causing the use of harder drugs?
Learning: children pick up their parents’ behaviours through observational learning / learn to smoke and acclimatising body to inhale smoke / learn to cope with stress with chemicals
Perceptions of risk: initial risk-taking leads to other drugs’ risks seem less severe
Social factors: peer pressure & norms
Pharmacological factors: nicotine believed to create biochemical pathway so next drug becomes more pleasurable than it would otherwise
If you begin use of cannabis as an adult, you will lose 6 - 8 IQ points. True or false?
False. Only when you start smoking cannabis heavily as an adolescent will your IQ decline.
What did Kandel (1984) find out about the propensity to use other illicit drugs for American youth, depending on how often they smoked cannabis?
7%, 33% and 84% used illicit drugs, out of those who never smoke cannabis, used it previously, and smoked it daily, respectively.
Secades-Villa, Garcia-Rodriguez, Jin, Wang and Blanco (2015) found that….
44.7% of those who have previously used cannabis go on to use other illicit drugs, especially those with mental disorders.
Degenhardt et al. (2010) surveyed 17 countries & found out what about cannabis’ relationship with the gateway nature of drugs?
It might be false, as there were many diff patterns in drug progression, so cannabis is not causal in using other drugs. Instead, individual characteristics of users make them likelier to try drugs.
What are some arguments against cannabis being a gateway drug?
Cannabis was simply used before other drugs because of accessibility and social acceptance / Genetic predisposition where risk-takers are more likely to use cannabis (those with tattoos, piercings, more likely)
Even the lightest use of cannabis can cause problems in the future. Yes or no?
No. Mostly HEAVY cannabis use results in such problems.
Is alcohol or cannabis more damaging in society, according to Nutt et al.? (2010)
Alcohol is 3.6x more damaging than cannabis.
Can cannabis be useful?
Yes. Medical marijuana is often used to treat Alzheimer’s, where it removes proteins involved in the disease. It may also shrink cancerous tumours.
In 2001, Portugal decriminalised drugs, referring users to treatment rather than jail. What were the outcomes?
The number of drug-induced deaths declined drastically, and drug use for all types of drugs remained relatively low, compared to other EU countries.
What is SIDS and the common conceptions surrounding it?
It is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and bed-sharing is believed to increase its risks.
In the US, how many babies have died from SIDS?
There were 0.5 deaths for every 1000 live births.
What can increase the risks of SIDS?
Parents smoking, pregnant mothers smoking, baby sleeping on front, using pillows.
When is it unsuitable to share beds with an infant, according the Chicago Infant Mortality Study?
When the parent has been drinking, or is ill
How common are Caesarian sections in China, US and general medical grounds, according to the World Health Organisation?
China: 46%
US: 32%
General medical grounds: 15%
In 2007, how many percentage of births in New Zealand involved Caesarian sections?
24%
What hormone is released during vaginal delivery?
Oxytocin, also known as the “love drug.” It increases when you’re in love, and stimulates maternal behaviour.
What is the hypothesis regarding bonding and vaginal delivery?
Vaginal delivery increases the bond between mother and child.
What did Swain et al. (2008) find out about vaginal delivery vs c-section mothers when hearing their infants’ cries?
Vaginal delivery mothers had greater activations in parts of their brain dedicated to empathy, arousal, reward and sensory processing. However, this is also linked to higher depression rates.
