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Expectancies about alcohol-induced motor impairment predict individual differences in responses to alcohol and
1Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Objective:
Two experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that the amount of alcohol-induced impairment that a drinker expects will predict his response to alcohol and to placebo.
Method:
Social drinkers (N = 81) were familiarized with a laboratory motor skill task before they rated the amount of impairment on the task that they expected from a moderate dose of alcohol. The degree of change in the subjects' performance was measured during an alcohol session and a subsequent session where alcohol was expected but a placebo was received.
Results:
Subjects who expected greater impairment displayed poorer performance under alcohol (0.35 g/kg) and under placebo.
Conclusions:
This evidence calls attention to the importance of expectancies as a factor that may contribute to the understanding of individual differences in behavior under alcohol and a placebo.