AOD use can impair which cognitive areas?

• A. Color vision
• B. Long-term hearing loss
• C. Concentration and memory
• D. Aerobic capacity

Answer: (C)

When people use alcohol or other drugs, the brain’s ability to think clearly and form memories is often slowed or disrupted. The key cognitive skills affected are concentration and memory. You’ll often notice trouble focusing on tasks, staying on track, or following instructions, and your capacity to hold information in your short-term memory or to form new memories can be reduced. This is because AOD can interfere with how the brain processes information and encodes experiences.

Other options relate to senses or physical fitness rather than thinking skills. Color vision is a sensory process, long-term hearing loss is a physical injury, and aerobic capacity is about fitness, not cognitive processing. So the cognitive areas most impacted by AOD use are concentration and memory.