Autonomy and Coercion in Academic "Cognitive Enhancement" Using Methylphenidate: Perspectives of Key Stakeholders
Autonomy and Coercion in Academic "Cognitive Enhancement" Using Methylphenidate: Perspectives of Key Stakeholders
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DOI：
10.1007/s12152-009-9043-y
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发表时间：
2009-11-01
期刊：
影响因子：
1.4
通讯作者：
Racine, Eric
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Forlini, Cynthia;Racine, Eric
越来越多的证据表明，健康的大学生正在使用哌醋甲酯（MPH；利他林）来提高注意力、警觉性和学习成绩。与此类药物使用相关的关键问题之一是个体必须参与或放弃认知增强（CE）的自由程度。从实用主义的角度来看，仔细检查行为伦理及其产生的背景，包括考虑强制和社会压力以增强认知。我们感兴趣的是了解大学生、大学生家长和医疗保健提供者如何使用公共卫生硕士来看待CE中的自主性和强制性。我们发现，观点都倾向于认为教育是个人和个人选择的问题。人们的观点也集中在要求表现和成功的巨大社会压力的存在上。家长们强调了个人的责任和责任，并表达了对CE选择的担忧、悲伤和恐惧。学生们强调了个人诚信在行政教育中的重要性，表达了对他人个人选择的宽容，并强调了行政教育对保持个人诚信所构成的挑战。医疗保健提供者强调CE对健康的影响。这些结果说明：(1)理解上下文如何与自主选择的观点相关联的重要性；(2)不考虑社会背景的个人主义自由意志主义方法的局限性；(3)在一场充满价值的辩论中，公共卫生干预的伦理影响。
There is mounting evidence that methylphenidate (MPH; Ritalin) is being used by healthy college students to improve concentration, alertness, and academic performance. One of the key concerns associated with such use of pharmaceuticals is the degree of freedom individuals have to engage in or abstain from cognitive enhancement (CE). From a pragmatic perspective, careful examination of the ethics of acts and contexts in which they arise includes considering coercion and social pressures to enhance cognition. We were interested in understanding how university students, parents of university students, and healthcare providers viewed autonomy and coercion in CE using MPH. We found that perspectives converged on the belief that CE is a matter of personal and individual choice. Perspectives also converged on the existence of tremendous social pressures to perform and succeed. Parents emphasized personal responsibility and accountability for CE choices, and expressed feelings of worry, sadness and fear about CE. Students emphasized the importance of personal integrity in CE, expressed tolerance for personal choices of others, and highlighted the challenge that CE poses to maintaining one's personal integrity. Healthcare providers emphasized the health consequences of CE. These results illustrate: (1) the importance of understanding how context is viewed in relation to perspectives on autonomous choice; (2) the limitations of individualistic libertarian approaches that do not consider social context; and (3) the ethical implications of public health interventions in a value-laden debate where perspectives diverge.