The present investigation modeled the expectancy memory organization and likely memory activation patterns of marijuana expectancies of children across age and marijuana use. The first phase of the study surveyed 142 children to obtain their first associate to marijuana use. From their responses, the Marijuana Expectancy Inventory for Children and Adolescents (MEICA) was developed. The second phase of the study administered the MEICA to a second sample of 392 children to model marijuana expectancy organization and probable memory activation paths of marijuana users versus never-users. Results indicated that irrespective of age, adolescents who have used marijuana tend to emphasize positive-negative effects, whereas adolescents who have never used marijuana tend to emphasize psychological-physiological effects. Memory activation patterns also differed by marijuana use history such that users are more likely to begin their paths with short-term positive effects of marijuana, versus non-users who access long-term cognitive and physiological effects with more likelihood. This study is the first to examine specific marijuana outcome expectancies of children and adolescents as they relate to marijuana-using behavior. Implications for marijuana prevention and intervention programs, future research, and limitations of the current investigation are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-1522 |
| Date | 01 January 2005 |
| Creators | Alfonso, Jacqueline |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
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