SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF LSD ON ANXIETY, ATTITUDES AND PERFORMANCE

A single dose of LSD lowered anxiety and reduced dogmatism and projection of aggression in normal adults one week later, compared with a control group. The study involved 15 experimental and 14 comparison subjects, mostly professional research personnel. No gains were found in tests of fluency, flexibility, or originality beyond what practice alone produced. Attempts to replicate earlier findings on word-association changes after LSD were inconclusive due to differences between subject samples.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study describes the short-term effects of administering LSD to normals as measured by pre and one-week-post-LSD tests of anxiety, attitudes, and performance. The hypothesis tested was that LSD would produce a rapid lowering of defenses resulting in (1) lower anxiety, (2) attitudinal changes, particularly in the form of decreased dogmatism and projection of aggression, and (3) increases in certain performance tests of fluency, flexibility, and originality. The samples consisted of 15 experimental and 14 com parison subjects, most of whom were professional research personnel. The hypothesis was generally confirmed for the anxiety and attitude tests, but there were no gains in the performance tests beynd that attributable to practice effect as measured in the comparison group. An attempt was made to determine if certain LSD-induced changes in the word-association test results, as found in a previous study, were retained in the post-LSD period. The results were incon clusive, apparently because of the lack of similarity between the samples of subjects. A larger study is planned using a six-month follow-up period. (Author)