Maintaining intentional control of behavior under alcohol

This research used a process dissociation paradigm to measure the influence of controlled and automatic processes on a word-stem completion task when correct performance under alcohol was positively reinforced, or had no particular consequence. It was predicted that the impairing effect of alcohol on controlled processes that govern intentional control of behavior would be resisted when drinkers were reinforced for performing well.

Four groups of eight male drug-free social drinkers initially studied a list of words. Two of the groups then received 0.56 g/kg alcohol (A) and two received a placebo (P) before the stem-completion task was performed. During the task, the correct responses of one pair of A and P groups were reinforced (money and verbal approval) whereas no reinforcement was provided to the other pair.

As predicted, under alcohol, the influence of controlled processes that govern intentional responses was greater when reinforcement was provided than when it was absent (p = 0.005). Without reinforcement, controlled processes in the A group were lower than the P control group (p = 0.01). In contrast, the A and P groups that received reinforcement did not differ (p = 0.142). Controlled processes in the P groups were not affected by reinforcement (p = 0.65). In addition, the influence of automatic processes was not affected by alcohol or by reinforcement (p > 0.781).

Positive reinforcement for behavior under alcohol increases the influence of controlled processes. These results suggest that the degree to which intentional control is retained under alcohol depends on the consequence of behavior in the situation. It seems that controlled processes enable drinkers to intentionally display the behavior that is rewarded.