Does cocaine use really affect the function of the brain? This study addressed this question by taking brain scans of cocaine users and normal control subjects while they performed a short-term memory task. Results showed that poor performance of cocaine users on the memory task was associated with below normal levels of activity in areas of the brain involved with paying attention and manipulating information in short-term memory. These findings document the detrimental effects of cocaine use on cognitive function and clarify the mechanism by which cocaine adversely affects the brain.
SENSATION SEEKING INFLUENCES ON ATTENTION, AROUSAL, AND MEMORY JUDGMENTS ABOUT "ACTION NEWS" TELEVISION NEWS STORIES
Fox, Julia R., Indiana University
Lee, Seungwhan, Indiana University
Shin, Mija , Indiana University
Who likes to stay up to watch "Action News" and who would rather go to bed? Research has shown that high sensation-seekers prefer to watch movies and action adventure television programs, whereas low sensation seekers say they prefer news and magazine programs. In this study, researchers compared the physiological responses of high and low sensation seekers during viewing of action news television segments and found that high sensation seekers were more physiologically activated by, and paid more attention to, the action news clips than low sensation seekers. So if you find that you're an action news junkie it may just be that you're a sensation seekers too!
RACIAL STEREOTYPES AND BEHAVIOR: USING ERPS TO UNDERSTAND THE POLICE OFFICER'S DILEMMA
Tiffany A. Ito, Joshua Correll, & Geoffrey R. Urland, University of Colorado
The importance of unders
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Contact: Susan Rees
spr@reesgroupinc.com
608-831-0274
Society for Psychophysiological Research
7-Oct-2004