This article discusses new perspectives in the psychopharmacology of c
ognition and analyses the advantages and disadvantages of using drugs
as tools to study the mechanisms underlying memory functions. The use
of 'stages' in the processing ofinformation as a means for the analysi
s of cognitive operations is critically discussed as a rigid approach
which can only partially accommodate different cognitive functions. Th
eoretical models of memory 'systems' and allocation of attentional res
ources are presented alongside findings from the two types of more com
monly used drugs in cognitive psychopharmacology: the benzodiazepines
(BZ) and the anticholinergics. In a post-hoc analysis of the effects o
f BZ and scopolamine on memory and attention, it has become clear that
these newer theoretical. models can accommodate most, but not all, of
the effects of BZ and scopolamine on cognition. It is suggested that
the development of cognitive tasks on the basis of these models and th
e execution of prospective studies with drugs as tools taking in to ac
count the 'systems' approach to interpretation of data may be more use
ful for understanding cognitive functions.