eprintid: 1544876 rev_number: 27 eprint_status: archive userid: 608 dir: disk0/01/54/48/76 datestamp: 2017-03-12 00:46:26 lastmod: 2021-10-07 22:04:02 status_changed: 2017-05-08 09:56:58 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Heller, MK creators_name: Chapman, SCE creators_name: Horne, R title: No blank slates: Pre-existing schemas about pharmaceuticals predict memory for side effects ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B02 divisions: C08 divisions: D10 divisions: G11 keywords: Science & Technology, Social Sciences, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Public, Environmental & Occupational Health, Psychology, Multidisciplinary, Psychology, Pharmaceutical Schemas, Memory, Side Effects, Beliefs About Medicines, Questionnaire, Perceived Sensitivity To Medicines Scale, Fuzzy-Trace Theory, Rheumatoid-Arthritis, Medical Information, Attentional Biases, Medicines, Beliefs, Adherence, Illness, Representation, Sensitivity note: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. abstract: OBJECTIVES: Attribution of symptoms as medication side effects is informed by pre-existing beliefs about medicines and perceptions of personal sensitivity to their effects (pharmaceutical schemas). We tested whether (1) pharmaceutical schemas were associated with memory (recall/recognition) for side effect information (2) memory explained the attribution of a common unrelated symptom as a side effect. DESIGN: In this analogue study participants saw the patient leaflet of a fictitious asthma drug listing eight side effects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured recall and recognition memory for side effects and used a vignette to test whether participants attributed an unlisted common symptom (headache) as a side effect. RESULTS: Participants who perceived pharmaceuticals as more harmful in general recalled fewer side effects correctly (rCorrect Recall = −.273), were less able to differentiate between listed and unlisted side effects (rRecognition Sensitivity = −.256) and were more likely to attribute the unlisted headache symptom as a side effect (rside effect attribution = .381, ps < .01). The effect of harm beliefs on side effect attribution was partially mediated by correct recall of side effects. CONCLUSION: Pharmaceutical schemas are associated with memory for side effect information. Memory may explain part of the association between pharmaceutical schemas and the attribution of unrelated symptoms as side effects. date: 2017-01 date_type: published publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2016.1273355 oa_status: green full_text_type: other language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green article_type_text: Article verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1210598 doi: 10.1080/08870446.2016.1273355 language_elements: eng lyricists_name: Horne, Robert lyricists_id: RHORN95 full_text_status: public publication: Psychology and Health volume: 32 number: 4 pagerange: 402-421 pages: 20 issn: 1476-8321 citation: Heller, MK; Chapman, SCE; Horne, R; (2017) No blank slates: Pre-existing schemas about pharmaceuticals predict memory for side effects. Psychology and Health , 32 (4) pp. 402-421. 10.1080/08870446.2016.1273355 <https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2016.1273355>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1544876/1/Home_No%20blank%20states%20revision.pdf