From: Robert Owen (rowen@technologist.com)
Date: Sun Feb 20 2000 - 14:53:18 MST
Joe E Dees wrote:
> Could the purported cognitive benefits of nicotine (improved
> memory and logical function) be due to the narcotic dampening
> effect nicotine has upon our perceptions, thus reducing
> phenomenal distractions from abstract processing?
This may indeed be a contributive factor; what impresses me
most about the pharmacology of nicotine is its effect on our
aggressive tendencies. It is a fact that hyperaggressive per-
sonalities with criminal histories benefit significantly from the
administration of nicotine.
By extrapolation to learning theory, isn't it reasonable to infer
that, pari passu, an enhancement of passive receptivity and
submissiveness could account for improvement in retention
and acceptance of the constraints of purely logical processing?
Bob
=======================
Robert M. Owen
Director
The Orion Institute
57 W. Morgan Street
Brevard, NC 28712-3659 USA
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