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Different drink cues elicit different physiological responses in non-dependent drinkers
S Glautier1, D C Drummond, B Remington
1Addiction Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
Psychopharmacology
|January 1, 1992
Summary
Physiological responses to alcohol cues depend on whether the drink is consumed or just held. Consuming alcohol-associated drinks decreased arousal, while holding them increased arousal compared to non-associated drinks.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Alcohol-associated stimuli can elicit physiological responses.
- Previous research indicates arousal increases when exposed to alcohol cues without consumption.
- Consumption of alcohol-associated drinks typically leads to decreased arousal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interaction between alcohol cue association and consumption on physiological arousal.
- To examine how holding versus consuming alcohol-associated drinks affects arousal.
- To test theories of conditioned responses and motivational processes in drug intake regulation.
Main Methods:
- Forty non-dependent drinkers participated in the study.
- Participants either consumed or held drinks with varying degrees of alcohol association.
- Physiological arousal was measured using skin conductance and heart rate.
Main Results:
- Consuming alcohol-associated drinks resulted in lower arousal increases than non-associated drinks.
- Holding alcohol-associated drinks led to greater arousal increases than non-associated drinks.
- Interactions were observed between drink association and the activity (consuming vs. holding).
Conclusions:
- Findings support literature review conclusions on conditioned responses to alcohol cues.
- The study highlights the differential impact of consumption versus mere exposure to alcohol cues.
- Results have implications for understanding motivational processes in regulating alcohol intake.