Fix It The Researchers Were Interested in Understanding the Effects of Illicit

question 28

Essay

Fix It
The researchers were interested in understanding the effects of illicit drugs on brain functioning. They recruited participants from local Narcotics Anonymous support groups. Thirty-eight former drug users participated in the study. Fifteen reported cocaine as their drug of choice, 10 indicated heroin as their drug of choice, and 13 indicated synthetic marijuana as their drug of choice. After providing basic demographic information (sex, age, ethnicity), the participants consented to a PET scan of their brain to assess cerebral blood flow. The cerebral blood flow of participants in the three drug groups was analyzed using a one-way ANOVA. The results indicated cerebral blood flow was not affected by drug use (F(2, 35) = 1.82, p > .05). The researchers concluded that drug abuse does not affect cerebral blood flow. These results suggest drugs do not affect the brain as once believed.
Based on the information provided, do you agree with the researchers' conclusion? What changes in the research design would you need to be able to believe that drugs do not affect cerebral blood flow? Fix it!