Understanding alcohol motivation using the alcohol purchase task: A methodological systematic review

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Economics
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• The Alcohol Purchase Task (APT) is a widely used behavioral economic assessment measuring alcohol demand.
• Existing literature lacks a systematic review of APT administration and analysis variability.
• This study addresses this gap by cataloging methodologies and offering recommendations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and elucidate the variability in administering and analyzing the Alcohol Purchase Task (APT).
• To identify and catalog diverse methodologies employed in APT research.
• To provide recommendations for future research and inquiry.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review was conducted using PRISMA methodology.
• Searches of major academic databases (Google Scholar, PsychINFO, PubMed, SpringerLink) identified 47 empirical articles published up to 2016.
• Articles were coded for demographic, procedural, structural (APT design), and data analysis characteristics.

Main Results:

• Substantial variation exists in the administration and analysis of the APT across studies.
• No standardized approach is evident for APT implementation or response analysis.
• Many studies lack detailed reporting on administration, instructions, price structuring, and analytical methods.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced transparency in reporting APT methods and analyses is crucial.
• Standardized reporting will improve research reproducibility.
• This will facilitate future meta-analytic studies on alcohol demand and inform best-practice recommendations for the APT procedure.