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Student cognitive enhancement with non-prescribed modafinil: is it cheating? A survey study

Alexia Kesta, Phil Newton Orcid Logo

International Journal for Educational Integrity, Volume: 21, Issue: 1

Swansea University Author: Phil Newton Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1007/s40979-024-00174-3

Abstract

Modafinil is a prescription-only drug in most countries. It is mainly used to treat narcolepsy and sleep disorders, but it is also used, without a prescription, as a cognitive enhancer by ~ 10% of UK University students. Previous research has focused on the prevalence of, and motivations for, these...

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Published in: International Journal for Educational Integrity
ISSN: 1833-2595
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2025
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68641
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last_indexed 2025-02-08T05:44:34Z
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spelling 2025-02-07T14:38:59.3929688 v2 68641 2025-01-03 Student cognitive enhancement with non-prescribed modafinil: is it cheating? A survey study 6e0a363d04c407371184d82f7a5bddc8 0000-0002-5272-7979 Phil Newton Phil Newton true false 2025-01-03 MEDS Modafinil is a prescription-only drug in most countries. It is mainly used to treat narcolepsy and sleep disorders, but it is also used, without a prescription, as a cognitive enhancer by ~ 10% of UK University students. Previous research has focused on the prevalence of, and motivations for, these behaviours. Here we focused specifically on determining whether students view this behaviour as cheating. We used a scenario-based approach to quantify, and qualitatively understand, student views on this topic. Most students did not view this behaviour as cheating, in part due to similarities with freely available stimulants such as caffeine, and a view that cognitive enhancement does not confer new knowledge or understanding. Although a minority of students did view it as cheating, they also expressed strong views, based in part on basic questions of fairness and access. Few students did not have a view either way. These views remained largely unchanged even when presented with considerations of other moderators of the ethics of cognitive enhancement with modafinil. Journal Article International Journal for Educational Integrity 21 1 Springer Science and Business Media LLC 1833-2595 Modafinil; Smart drugs; Study aids; Cheating; Cognitive enhancers; Neuroenhancment; Academic integrity 3 1 2025 2025-01-03 10.1007/s40979-024-00174-3 COLLEGE NANME Medical School COLLEGE CODE MEDS Swansea University Other No funding was received to support this study. Participant fees were paid using institutional funds of PMN to support the capstone project of AK. 2025-02-07T14:38:59.3929688 2025-01-03T10:53:10.6463283 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences School of Psychology Alexia Kesta 1 Phil Newton 0000-0002-5272-7979 2 68641__33540__b3ad70afa3334c56b967504964675181.pdf 68641.VoR.pdf 2025-02-07T14:37:14.8048019 Output 1353690 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
title Student cognitive enhancement with non-prescribed modafinil: is it cheating? A survey study
spellingShingle Student cognitive enhancement with non-prescribed modafinil: is it cheating? A survey study
Phil Newton
title_short Student cognitive enhancement with non-prescribed modafinil: is it cheating? A survey study
title_full Student cognitive enhancement with non-prescribed modafinil: is it cheating? A survey study
title_fullStr Student cognitive enhancement with non-prescribed modafinil: is it cheating? A survey study
title_full_unstemmed Student cognitive enhancement with non-prescribed modafinil: is it cheating? A survey study
title_sort Student cognitive enhancement with non-prescribed modafinil: is it cheating? A survey study
author_id_str_mv 6e0a363d04c407371184d82f7a5bddc8
author_id_fullname_str_mv 6e0a363d04c407371184d82f7a5bddc8_***_Phil Newton
author Phil Newton
author2 Alexia Kesta
Phil Newton
format Journal article
container_title International Journal for Educational Integrity
container_volume 21
container_issue 1
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
issn 1833-2595
doi_str_mv 10.1007/s40979-024-00174-3
publisher Springer Science and Business Media LLC
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str School of Psychology{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Psychology
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Modafinil is a prescription-only drug in most countries. It is mainly used to treat narcolepsy and sleep disorders, but it is also used, without a prescription, as a cognitive enhancer by ~ 10% of UK University students. Previous research has focused on the prevalence of, and motivations for, these behaviours. Here we focused specifically on determining whether students view this behaviour as cheating. We used a scenario-based approach to quantify, and qualitatively understand, student views on this topic. Most students did not view this behaviour as cheating, in part due to similarities with freely available stimulants such as caffeine, and a view that cognitive enhancement does not confer new knowledge or understanding. Although a minority of students did view it as cheating, they also expressed strong views, based in part on basic questions of fairness and access. Few students did not have a view either way. These views remained largely unchanged even when presented with considerations of other moderators of the ethics of cognitive enhancement with modafinil.
published_date 2025-01-03T14:02:03Z
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score 11.059359

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