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Updated: May 27, 2026
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The Motivation for Alcohol Reward: Predictors of Progressive-Ratio Intravenous Alcohol Self-Administration in Humans
Published on: April 28, 2022
Drinking motives mediate the relationship between reinforcing efficacy and alcohol consumption and problems
Ali M Yurasek1, James G Murphy, Ashley A Dennhardt
1Department of Psychology, 202 Psychology Building, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152, USA. myurasek@memphis.edu
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
|November 5, 2011
Summary
Higher alcohol reinforcing efficacy is linked to increased drinking motives and alcohol problems. This study found that enhancement and coping motives mediate this relationship in college students.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral economics
- Addiction research
- Psychology
Background:
- Demand curve indices of alcohol's reinforcing efficacy correlate with alcohol-related outcomes.
- Understanding mediators of this relationship is crucial for intervention development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine if enhancement and coping drinking motives mediate the relationship between alcohol reinforcing efficacy and alcohol use/problems.
- To investigate the motivational pathways linking behavioral economic variables to problematic alcohol consumption.
Main Methods:
- Survey data collected from 215 college undergraduates reporting alcohol use in the past 30 days.
- Structural equation modeling used to analyze the mediating roles of drinking motives.
Main Results:
- Alcohol demand curve indices, specifically O(max) and intensity, showed strong associations with alcohol use, problems, and motives.
- Enhancement and coping motives significantly mediated the link between reinforcing efficacy and alcohol use and related problems.
Conclusions:
- Motivational factors, specifically enhancement and coping motives, partially explain how alcohol's reinforcing efficacy influences problematic alcohol use.
- Findings highlight the role of drinking motives in the behavioral economic understanding of alcohol consumption.
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