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Article 1: Jurich, A. P., & Polson, C. J. (1984). Reasons for drug use: Comparison of drug users and abusers. Psychological Reports, 55, 371-88.

Summary: Drug users and abusers were interviewed about their motives for using drugs. In general, drug users reported using drugs for recreational purposes while drug abusers reported using drugs to cope with stress, sense of lack of control in their lives, and low self-esteem.

Questions to Consider: [Critical thinking questions based on the article to gauge student comprehension and analysis]

1. How were drug users and abusers classified?
2. Does this research represent a correlational or an experimental study? Why?
3. Are there any potential confounds in the research described that could threaten the validity of the study’s findings?
    

Article 2: Justman, S. (2011). From medicine to psychotherapy: The placebo effect. History of the Human Sciences, 24, 95-107.

Summary: This article considers how attitudes about the placebo have changed in the medical community over the course of time. According to the article, the medical community has soured on the use of placebo for a variety of reasons while the psychotherapeutic community has embraced it.

Questions to Consider:

1. What ethical considerations should be made when considering the use of placebo in medical research?
2. How is the placebo viewed as both a control treatment and a confounding variable in medical research?
3. What does the placebo effect suggest about the relationship between the mind and the body?
    

Article 3: Morgan, S. J., Elangbam, C. S., Berens, S., Janovitz, E., Vitsky, A., Zabka, T., & Conour, L. (2013). Use of animal models of human disease for nonclinical safety assessment of novel pharmaceuticals. Toxicologic Pathology, 41, 508-18.

Summary: While generally used to gain insight into the potential effectiveness and mode of action for treating human disease, animal models of human disease might also be useful in more general toxicity screening that is normally conducted in healthy animals.

Questions to Consider:

1. How might animal models of human disease provide additional insight into drug toxicity screening?
2. What factors should be considered in determining which animal model is best suited for a given objective?
3. What are potential limitations of using animal models of human disease in toxicity screening?