Dr. Vance investigates the developmental and social impacts of chronic MDMA (ecstasy) exposure during adolescence using animal models. He administered high daily doses of MDMA to 30 juvenile squirrel monkeys housed in isolated, soundproof chambers for eight weeks. Following this period, the monkeys were placed in a communal enclosure with non-exposed peer monkeys. The MDMA-exposed monkeys demonstrated profound self-directed stereotypic behaviors, such as repetitive self-clasping and pacing, and completely failed to engage in social grooming. Consequently, they were ostracized and ignored by the rest of the troop.
To what extent are laboratory experiments on animals appropriate to investigate the developmental and social impacts of recreational drugs? You must make reference to the context in your answer.
84 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Psychology Content, covering Issues around drug taking, Biological explanations of drug addiction, Learning explanations of drug addiction, Treatments for drug addiction, Anti-drug campaign and strategies, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.