PSYC62H3 Chapter 9: chapter 9
Document Summary
Caffeine: caffeine is the most widely used behaviourally active drug in the world. It is difficult to determine the overall time course and impact of caffeine on an individual as they differ. In one study, teenagers with a depressive disorder had odds of nicotine dependence that were 2. 3 times those of teenagers without a depressive disorder. In some individuals, nicotine has a mild psychostimulant effect, particularly with respect to enhanced vigilance. In fact, socially relevant doses of nicotine may be comparable to socially relevant doses of caffeine in facilitating choice reaction time, motor tracking, and short-term memory retrieval, as well as antagonizing some of the debilitating effects of alcohol. In simulated driving tests, nondeprived smokers have been shown to exhibit decreased braking time and improved tracking after smoking: enhanced performance most typically occurs in relatively simple tasks requiring sustained attention or fast reaction times. = which is why first smoke of day is more pleasurable.
