Effects of cigarette smoking on learning and retention.
Verbal rote learning was studied on 10 habitual smokers in a smoking and non-smoking session. Smoking induced a significant decrease in the number of correct responses on the learning task as compared to non-smoking values. The imparied learning coincided in time by an increased arousal as measured by heart rate. A test of recall 45 min after the end of the learning period, when the pre-smoking arousal level had been restored, showed that retention was better in the smoking condition than in the non-smoking condition. The results were interpreted in terms of Walker's theory (1958) postulating a relationship between arousal level and consolidation of memory.
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D012907:Smoking; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000187:drug effects*