Citation

Sigelman CK, Silk A, Goldberg F, Davies EP, Dwyer KM, Leach D, Mack K. J. Appl. Dev. Psychol. 1999; 20(4): 597-614.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

In a study guided by both Piagetian and intuitive theories, age group differences in children's knowledge and understanding of how drugs affect behavior were examined. African-American and white children ages 5-7, 8-10, 11-14 years, and a comparison group of college students were asked about alcohol and cocaine. In descriptions of the routes drugs take in the body, mention of gastrointestinal sites decreased across age groups for cocaine but increased for alcohol; mention of vital organs peaked among 8- to 10-year olds; emphasis on peripheral body parts decreased across age groups; and emphasis on blood and brain increased. Knowledge of key elements of a physiological theory of how drugs affect behavior was greater among college students than among children. Understanding (causal complexity of explanations in a Piagetian sense) also increased with age for cocaine, though not for alcohol, and knowledge and understanding were only moderately correlated, suggesting that they represent distinct aspects of thinking about drugs. Implications for the design of drug education programs are discussed.