The mechanisms affecting parents’ misuse of prescription stimulant drugs to boost healthy children’s school performance are hardly unknown. Using four web-based factorial vignette surveys (2×2 between-subjects design experiment), we investigated the willingness of U.S. parents with school-aged children to medicate a fictitious 13-year-old child whose grades had declined. We examined mechanisms of informational and normative social influence on their decision-making: others’ behavior (N_{Experiment 1} = 359), others’ definitions (N_{Experiment 2} = 326), social control (N_{Experiment 3} = 325), and others’ experience (N_{Experiment 4} = 313). In addition, we explored the moderating role of influential sources (close friends vs. social media). Parents were more willing to engage in said behavior when others reported engagement in this behavior or positive drug experiences, especially if both influences were transmitted via social media. Others’ definitions and social control had no effect. Thus, social media might be a channel for the prevention of pharmacological cognitive enhancement.

影响父母滥用处方兴奋剂以提高健康儿童的学业成绩的机制鲜为人知。我们使用四项基于网络的析因小插图调查（2×2受试者间设计实验），调查了美国父母与学龄儿童一起服药虚假成绩下降的13岁儿童的意愿。我们研究了信息和规范性社会影响其决策的机制：他人的行为（N个_{实验 1} = 359），其他人的定义（N个_{实验 2} = 326），社会控制（N个_{实验 3} = 325）和其他人的行为。经验（N_{实验 4}= 313）。此外，我们探讨了有影响力的资源（亲密朋友与社交媒体）的调节作用。当其他人报告参与这种行为或积极的吸毒经历时，父母更愿意参与这种行为，特别是如果这两种影响都是通过社交媒体传播的。其他人的定义和社会控制没有作用。因此，社交媒体可能是预防药理学认知增强的渠道。