Effect expectancies for cocaine intoxication: initial vs. descendent phases.

This study examined the association between proximal vs. distal effect expectancies for cocaine consumption in a college student population with (N = 26) and without (N = 69) cocaine experience. Participants completed the Cocaine Effect Expectancy Questionnaire-Likert (CEEQL) and were asked to respond to each item twice: first, their belief about that specific effect during the initial phase of cocaine intoxication; and second, in relation to their belief about that effect during the descendent period. Positive and negative scales were scored for each subject. Positive expectancies were not associated between the two time points, while negative expectancies were. Users reported significantly less negative expected effects of cocaine, while nonusers and users held similar beliefs about the positive effects of cocaine. This latter effect was replicated in an independent sample (N = 140).