Effects of alcohol consumption on gambling warning message recall and recognition

To understand the influence of acute alcohol consumption on the recall and recognition of warning messages.

Participants (n = 82) were randomly assigned to a condition where they consumed alcoholic beverages (target blood alcohol concentrations of 0.06%-0.08%) or a condition where they consumed juice. Participants in both conditions then gambled on preprogrammed slot machines in a casino-themed room with four pop-up warning messages appearing twice each. After the gambling session, participants in both conditions completed a filler task followed by free recall and recognition assessments.

Most participants (81%) recalled the gist, or the general idea, of the warning messages. However, participants in the alcohol condition underestimated the total number of messages they viewed to a significantly greater extent than those in the juice condition. Participants in the alcohol condition were also significantly less accurate in recognizing messages than participants in the juice condition. Participants in the juice condition were significantly more likely to recall the self-appraisal message than participants in the alcohol condition. There were no other significant differences in the recall of specific messages between conditions.

Individuals who are moderately intoxicated are just as likely as nonintoxicated individuals to understand the general idea of warning messages but may have greater difficulty recalling specific details within those messages. Those who are intoxicated may have difficulties engaging in self-appraisal, indicating that messages that are focused on the financial consequences of gambling may be more impactful. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).