Prevention Education Effects on Fundamental Memory Processes

Abstract

This study evaluated effects of a key session from a nationally recognized drug abuse prevention program on basic memory processes in 211 high-risk youth in Southern California. In a randomized, between-subject design, the authors manipulated assignment to a Myth and Denial program session and the time of assessment (immediate vs. one-week delay). The authors examined program decay effects on memory accessibility and judgment errors. Those participants exposed to the program session generated more myths and facts from the program than those in the control group, suggesting that even a single program session influenced students’ memory for program information and this was retained at least one week and detectable with indirect tests of memory accessibility. However, consistent with basic research perspectives, participants in the program delayed assessment group erroneously generated more fact-related information from the session to the prompt “It is a myth that_____” than the participants in the program immediate assessment group; that is, they retained more facts as myths. These types of program effects, anticipated by basic memory theory, were not detected with a traditional judgment task in the present sample. The results suggest that basic science approaches offer a novel way of conceptually recasting prevention effects to more completely understand how these effects may operate. Implications for program evaluation and conceptualization are discussed.

Sense of Coherence and Tobacco Use Myths Among Adolescents as Predictors of At-Risk Youth Cigarette Use

“…However, this study provides evidence that due to differing impacts on adolescents’ smoking behavior, it might be more relevant to target programs that alter specific smoking beliefs in adolescents rather than programs that attempt to alter a general belief. It is postulated that correcting cognitive misperceptions in adolescents can positively change or delay drug use (Ames, Krank, Grenard, Sussman, & Stacy, 2012). Thus, for long term smoking prevention and cessation results in an older adolescent populations, specifically, altering specific beliefs could be considered a “low hanging fruit” in modifying the prospective risky behavior of adolescents and provides better results in altering the smoking behavior in adolescents.…”

Outcome expectancy liking: A self-generated, self-coded measure predicts adolescent substance use trajectories.

“…It is important to note that self-generated and self-rated responses summarized by the liking score are behaviorally relevant; a conclusion supported by the robust prediction of both concurrent and future substance use with this simple measure. Last, self-generation avoids any potential problems with suggesting expectancies, which might influence impressionable youth (Krank, Ames, et al, 2010; Ames et al, in press).…”

Cognitions mediate the influence of personality on adolescent cannabis use initiation

“…Although direct methods are more likely to be influenced by controlled processing (System two), dual processing theories acknowledge the important underlying influence of automatic associations (System one). That is, direct assessments, such as outcome expectancies, are strongly affected by automatic and unconscious influences ( Ames et al, 2012 , Krank and Robinson, 2017 ). Although some may view this influence as measurement error, the dual processing perspective views automatic influences from associative memory as the foundation of judgements and decision-making ( Kahneman, 2011 ).…”