Cognitive Efficiency and Critical Thinking Skills of The University Students

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effect of drug abuse on cognitive efficiency and critical thinking skills among university students, in light of a set of social and psychological factors associated with addictive behavior. It investigates the relationship between drug use and memory, attention, perception, information processing speed, as well as analysis, interpretation, inference, and decision-making skills. The study adopted the descriptive-analytical approach, and a questionnaire was administered to a sample of (130) male and female students from the College of Education – Department of Arabic Language at Ibn Rushd College of Humanities – University of Baghdad. Data were analyzed by using frequencies and percentages. The results revealed a clear negative effect of drug abuse on cognitive efficiency, as it leads to poor memory, distracted attention, slower information processing, and lower academic performance. The findings also showed that drug abuse weakens critical thinking skills and increases impulsive decision-making. The study recommends strengthening university awareness programs and developing critical thinking skills to reduce this phenomenon.