This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 0269881107083811v1 22/8/872    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Bedi, G. Articles by Redman, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bedi, G. Articles by Redman, J. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Metamemory in recreational ecstasy polydrug users: what do self-reports of memory failures mean?

School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, gbedi{at}bsd.uchicago.edu

J. Redman

School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

Previous research has found relationships between self-rated memory and ecstasy use, such that heavier users report worse function. These findings have been interpreted in terms of objective memory capacity. However, research on metamemory suggests that self-reported memory may be only weakly related to objective function, with demographics, mood, and memory-related beliefs and feelings also contributing to ratings. This study examined relationships between ecstasy/other drug use and self-reported memory, controlling for effects of demographic factors and mood. Associations between self-reported memory, memory-related beliefs and feelings, and objectively-measured cognitive function were also examined. Forty-five ecstasy polydrug, 48 cannabis polydrug, and 40 legal drug users completed a battery of neuropsychological tests and questionnaire measures of metamemory, including memory-related control beliefs, memory-related anxiety, and self-reported prospective and general/retrospective memory. The combined polydrug groups reported more general/retrospective memory failures. Covariance analysis, however, suggested that this finding was confounded by general anxiety levels. A combination of objective cognitive measures contributed to prediction of self-rated prospective memory, with demographics, mood, and memory-related anxiety also contributing to variability. However, associations between objective and self-reported memory were not strong. Self-report may not be a specific methodology with which to assess objective memory capacities in ecstasy and other drug users.

Key Words: ecstasy • MDMA • cannabis • memory • metamemory • self-report

This version was published on November 1, 2008

Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 22, No. 8, 872-881 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0269881107083811


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?