Evo said:The OP is about taking it to boost test scores.
That's not the only benefit. Did you read the link?Proton Soup said:what if the only benefit is to reduce fatigue, and one knows that reducing fatigue boosts scores compared to one who is testing while fatigued?
Proton Soup said:you need to define what those things mean. what is this "cognitive functioning" you speak of? i can find studies that back up the use of B-12 to increase performance, but it's a processing speed increase, not intelligence or anything like that.
Evo said:That's not the only benefit. Did you read the link?
Oh you did read the link so you're just being intentionally obtuse.
Since I'm not the author of this paper, perhaps you should ask the experts that wrote it, eh?
Gee, I guess one would have to scroll down to see the work it was taken from.Proton Soup said:you're assuming all of my comments are with respect to your link, which is discussing two different drugs, apparently.
i would be happy to look up what it refers to, but it's not even a paper. it has references, but no footnotes... does it even have authors?
Well that's pretty much what they do on Adderall. They get tunnel vision on some task and remember stuff for a week, then *poof* its gone.Proton Soup said:i'm not assuming they're learning all their material in a week.
C.Military Use and Effects on Counteracting Fatigue
As early as 1966, it was recognized that the perfor-
mance enhancement resulting from amphetamine use was
generally significant in restoring performance in fatigued
subjects, rather than producing performance above baseline
in normal subjects [65].
No, go to where it specifically says (now pay attention, this is the part that applies to tests).Proton Soup said:OK, let's sift through individual papers.
Performance Effects: Doses of 10-30 mg methamphetamine have shown to improve reaction time, relief fatigue, improve cognitive function testing, increase subjective feelings of alertness, increase time estimation
Evo said:No, go to where it specifically says (now pay attention, this is the part that applies to tests).
By "cheating" I understand; motivating a student to do something she or he couldn't do without the drug.Proton Soup said:OK, let's sift through individual papers.
Logan BK. Methamphetamine - Effects on Human Performance and Behavior. Forens Sci Rev 2002;14(1/2):133-51.
http://www.biblioteca.cij.gob.mx/Archivos/Materiales_de_consulta/Drogas_de_Abuso/Metanfetaminas/Articulos/methamphetamine.pdf
and it looks like most of the rest of it is about psychomotor performance. in fact, that seems to be the real focus of the fact sheet and its references: how these drugs affect things like driving. so some evidence that these drugs help students cheat is still lacking.
Evo said:No, go to where it specifically says (now pay attention, this is the part that applies to tests).
I did a google on abusing adderal for tests and got a HUGE number of papers.
If you think it's false, furnish papers to back yourself up. Post research that shows that adderal does not help in test taking.
Otherwise, don't speculate without facts.
No, according to your articleProton Soup said:according to this, it's mostly hype:
http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v301/n4/full/scientificamerican1009-46.html
Ethical Dissonance
Arguments about safety, fairness and coercion aside, demand is indeed high for cognitive enhancers that are otherwise prescribed for conditions such as ADHD. Based on government data gathered in 2007, more than 1.6 million people in the U.S. had used prescription stimulants nonmedically during the previous 12 months. Legal medicines in this category include methylphenidate (Ritalin), the amphetamine Adderall, and modafinil (Provigil). On some campuses, one quarter of students have reported using the drugs. And an informal online reader survey by Nature last year showed 20 percent of 1,427 respondents from 60 countries polled about their own use said they had used either methylphenidate, modafinil or beta blockers (the last for stage fright). Overall, a need for improved concentration was the reason cited most frequently. People often manage to acquire the drugs on the Internet or from doctors, who can prescribe medicines approved for one purpose to treat something else (drugmakers, however, cannot legally promote such “off label” uses).
The recent push for ethical guidelines, of course, presumes that these drugs are better than placebos and do in fact improve some aspect of cognition, be it attention, memory or “executive function” (planning and abstract reasoning, for instance).
Evo said:No, according to your article
It's not personal for me, I don't have ADD. Nice try at a failed personal attack.Proton Soup said:presumes?
look, I'm not the one making an accusation of cheating, and i think a charge of cheating is pretty serious, especially in an academic environment. one of those aspects of cognition presumed there is also the illness these drugs are prescribed to treat: attention deficit. i know this is personal for you, and i don't want it to be. i just don't think that good evidence is being presented here that these drugs are giving non-impaired students a significant advantage over those without the drug who are also non-impaired.
Evo said:It's not personal for me, I don't have ADD. Nice try at a failed personal attack.
Like I said "find something that says that drugs like adderal do not have these benefits to students that don't need them.
J Investig Med. 2004 Apr;52(3):192-201.
Methylphenidate does not improve cognitive function in healthy sleep-deprived young adults.
Bray CL, Cahill KS, Oshier JT, Peden CS, Theriaque DW, Flotte TR, Stacpoole PW.
Source
University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610-1042, USA. cbray@ufl.edu
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Abuse of methylphenidate, a treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is reported to be increasing among students for the purpose of improving cognition.
METHODS:
A single capsule, containing methylphenidate (20 mg) or placebo, was administered to healthy young adults orally following 24 hours of sleep deprivation. Measurements included percent change in score from sleep-deprived baseline on four standardized tests of cognitive function: Hopkins Verbal Learning, Digit Span, Modified Stroop, and Trail Making tests. Measurements also included percent changes in blood pressure and heart rate from sleep-deprived baseline and plasma methylphenidate concentration.
RESULTS:
Differences in cognitive test performance were not observed between intervention groups. In subjects receiving methylphenidate, mean percent changes from baseline for systolic blood pressure and heart rate were increased relative to placebo between 90 and 210 minutes following capsule administration (maximum increases of 9.45% and 11.03%, respectively). The timing of peak differences in physiologic measures did not correlate with peak serum methylphenidate concentrations. Exit questionnaire ratings of "capsule effect" and perceived performance on the postcapsule administration of the most challenging cognitive test were both higher (p = .044 and p = .009, respectively) for the methylphenidate group than for the placebo group.
CONCLUSIONS:
Cognitive improvement among sleep-deprived young adults was not observed following methylphenidate administration. Benefits perceived by abusers may relate to increased confidence and sense of well-being, as well as to sympathetic nervous system stimulation. Moreover, methylphenidate administration results in physiologic effects that could be harmful to certain individuals.
PMID:
15222409
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Evo said:They check athletes for drugs that artificially enhance their performance, so I would not be against it in schools.
micromass said:I don't think most people would use it during a test. Most people take it when learning material. Such a drug help people to concentrate longer and so they can learn more material.
It remains cheating, however.