Exploring Pathways to Gambling: Proposing the Integrated Risk and Protective Factors Model of Gambling Types.

Three linked studies, testing key aspects of the Pathways towards Problem and Pathological Gambling Model (Blaszczynski and Nower in Addiction 87(5):487-499, 2002), are presented. Study one comprised 204 students and 490 gambling forum users. It predicted differences in gambling severity, mental health and substance use across different motives for gambling.

An account of subjective probability judgment for joint events: Conjunctive and disjunctive.

Probability judgment is a vital part of many aspects of everyday life. In the present paper, we present a new theory of the way in which individuals produce probability estimates for joint events: conjunctive and disjunctive. We propose that a majority of individuals produce conjunctive (disjunctive) estimates by making a quasi-random adjustment, positive or negative, from the less (more) likely component probability with the other component playing no obvious role.

Paranormal belief, thinking style preference and susceptibility to confirmatory conjunction errors.

This study examines the extent to which belief in extrasensory perception (ESP), psychokinesis (PK) or life after death (LAD), plus need for cognition (NFC) and faith in intuition (FI), predict the generation of confirmatory conjunction errors. An opportunity sample (n = 261) completed sixteen conjunction problems manipulated across a 2 event type (paranormal vs. non-paranormal) × 2 outcome type (confirmatory vs.

Executive processes and timing: Comparing timing with and without reference memory.

Temporal perception is influenced by executive function. However, performance on different temporal tasks is often associated with different executive functions. This study examined whether using reference memory during a task influenced how performance was associated with executive resources.

Paranormal belief and errors of probabilistic reasoning: The role of constituent conditional relatedness in believers' susceptibility to the conjunction fallacy.

The present study examines the extent to which stronger belief in either extrasensory perception, psychokinesis or life-after-death is associated with a proneness to making conjunction errors (CEs). One hundred and sixty members of the UK public read eight hypothetical scenarios and for each estimated the likelihood that two constituent events alone plus their conjunction would occur. The impact of paranormal belief plus constituents' conditional relatedness type, estimates of the subjectively less likely and more likely constituents plus relevant interaction terms tested via three Generalized Linear Mixed Models.

Updating of working memory in ecstasy polydrug users: Findings from fNIRS.

Aims/objectives: Cognitive deficits are now well documented in ecstasy (MDMA) users with type and relative demand of task emerging as important factors. The updating component of executive processes appears to be particularly affected. The study reported here used functional near infrared spectroscopy imaging to investigate changes in cortical haemodynamics during memory updating.

Measures of Bayesian Reasoning Performance on 'Normal' and 'Natural' Frequency Tasks.

While the majority of similar studies examining Bayesian reasoning investigate how participants avoid common errors such as base-rate neglect, the current research also examines whether different formats (frequency and probability) lead to a difference in levels of absolute accuracy. In Study One, older (≥60 years) and younger (18 to 29 years) participants completed tasks in probability and normalized frequency formats. In Study 2, participants completed tasks in probability and natural frequency formats.

Reasoning deficits among illicit drug users are associated with aspects of cannabis use.

Deficits in deductive reasoning have been observed among ecstasy/polydrug users. The present study seeks to investigate dose-related effects of specific drugs and whether these vary with the cognitive demands of the task. One hundred and five participants (mean age 21.

Temporal and visual source memory deficits among ecstasy/polydrug users.

Objectives: We wished to investigate whether source memory judgements are adversely affected by recreational illicit drug use.

Method: Sixty-two ecstasy/polydrug users and 75 non ecstasy users completed a source memory task, in which they tried to determine whether or not a word had been previously presented and if so, attempted to recall the format, location and temporal position in which the word had occurred.

Results: While not differing in terms of the number of hits and false positive responses, ecstasy/polydrug users adopted a more liberal decision criterion when judging if a word had been presented previously.

Electrophysiological evidence of atypical processing underlying mental set shifting in ecstasy polydrug and polydrug users.

Executive functioning deficits are reported in ecstasy users. However research into mental set switching has been equivocal, with behavioral studies suggesting the function is preserved. The current study sought to address the issue of switching deficits in ecstasy users by combining behavioral performance with electrophysiological correlates (electroencephalography; EEG).

Prospective memory deficits in illicit polydrug users are associated with the average long-term typical dose of ecstasy typically consumed in a single session.

Rationale: Neuroimaging evidence suggests that ecstasy-related reductions in SERT densities relate more closely to the number of tablets typically consumed per session rather than estimated total lifetime use. To better understand the basis of drug related deficits in prospective memory (p.m.

Self-reports of executive dysfunction in current ecstasy/polydrug Users.

Objectives/background: Ecstasy/polydrug users have exhibited deficits in executive functioning in laboratory tests. We sought to extend these findings by investigating the extent to which ecstasy/polydrug users manifest executive deficits in everyday life.

Methods: Forty-two current ecstasy/polydrug users, 18 previous (abstinent for at least 6 months) ecstasy/polydrug users, and 50 non-users of ecstasy (including both non-users of any illicit drug and some cannabis-only users) completed the self-report Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A) measure.

Visuospatial working memory impairment in current and previous ecstasy/polydrug users.

Objective: Previous research suggests that ecstasy users are impaired in processing visuospatial information. However, for the most part, the deficits observed appear to involve the recall and recognition of complex visual and geometric patterns. The present research sought to determine whether ecstasy use was associated with deficits in serial spatial recall and visuospatial working memory (VSWM).

The effects of heavy social drinking on executive function: a systematic review and meta-analytic study of existing literature and new empirical findings.

Background: Previous investigations of executive function in alcohol dependent and in social drinkers have not always produced consistent results and have not utilised key indicators of recent theoretical models of Executive Function (EF). The present paper reports the results of two studies that seek to address these limitations.

Method: Study 1 took the form of a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining EF in social drinkers.

The effects of 'ecstasy' (MDMA) on visuospatial memory performance: findings from a systematic review with meta-analyses.

To review, with meta-analyses where appropriate, performance differences between ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) users and non-users on a wider range of visuospatial tasks than previously reviewed. Such tasks have been shown to draw upon working memory executive resources. Abstract databases were searched using the United Kingdom National Health Service Evidence Health Information Resource.

Effects of ecstasy/polydrug use on memory for associative information.

Rationale: Associative learning underpins behaviours that are fundamental to the everyday functioning of the individual. Evidence pointing to learning deficits in recreational drug users merits further examination.

Objectives: A word pair learning task was administered to examine associative learning processes in ecstasy/polydrug users.

The relationships of 'ecstasy' (MDMA) and cannabis use to impaired executive inhibition and access to semantic long-term memory.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between the consumption of ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)) and cannabis, and performance on the random letter generation task which generates dependent variables drawing upon executive inhibition and access to semantic long-term memory (LTM). The participant group was a between-participant independent variable with users of both ecstasy and cannabis (E/C group, n = 15), users of cannabis but not ecstasy (CA group, n = 13) and controls with no exposure to these drugs (CO group, n = 12). Dependent variables measured violations of randomness: number of repeat sequences, number of alphabetical sequences (both drawing upon inhibition) and redundancy (drawing upon access to semantic LTM).

Prospective memory functioning among ecstasy/polydrug users: evidence from the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAMPROMPT).

Rationale: Prospective memory (PM) deficits in recreational drug users have been documented in recent years. However, the assessment of PM has largely been restricted to self-reported measures that fail to capture the distinction between event-based and time-based PM. The aim of the present study is to address this limitation.

Modelling the adverse effects associated with ecstasy use.

Aims: Ecstasy, the street name for 3,4-meththylenedioxymethamphetamine, has been associated with a range of psychiatric symptoms and impaired psychological health in both problem and recreational users. The purpose of the present paper is to determine how these impairments are related to the history of polydrug use, and the conditions under which individuals ingest ecstasy.

Design: Associations between the variables of interest were investigated utilizing negative binomial regression.

Assessing the functional significance of ecstasy-related memory deficits using a virtual paradigm.

Rationale/objectives: Previous research shows that the use of ecstasy results in working memory and executive impairments in some users. The present study sought to assess the functional significance of such deficits using a virtual reality task.

Methods: Twenty-three ecstasy-polydrug users and 26 nonusers were recruited.

Everyday and prospective memory deficits in ecstasy/polydrug users.

The impact of ecstasy/polydrug use on real-world memory (i.e. everyday memory, cognitive failures and prospective memory [PM]) was investigated in a sample of 42 ecstasy/polydrug users and 31 non-ecstasy users.

Executive working memory deficits in abstinent ecstasy/MDMA users: a critical review.

Aims: This review examined studies of executive functioning in abstinent ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA) users on tasks which had been empirically mapped onto updating, shifting, inhibition and accessing long-term memory executive processes. Studies of some aspects of visuospatial memory performance were also included because of the investment of executive resources in such tasks.

Methods: Thirty-three studies were identified for the review following searches of the Psychinfo and Medline databases.

Sleep impairment in ecstasy/polydrug and cannabis-only users.

The present study investigated aspects of sleep quality in ecstasy and cannabis users. Two-hundred and twenty seven participants (117 ecstasy/polydrug users, 53 cannabis users and 57 drug naive participants) took part. The participants completed measures of daytime sleepiness, and indicators of sleep quality.

The association between the negative effects attributed to ecstasy use and measures of cognition and mood among users.

In self reports, abstinent ecstasy/polydrug users claim that they experience certain ongoing affective and psychological changes including elevated anxiety, arousal, and depression. In addition, various aspects of cognition (e.g.