Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Estimating blood alcohol level from observable signs

A J McKnight1, E A Langston, P R Marques

  • 1National Public Services Research Institute, Landover, MD 22308, USA.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention
|March 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

People can accurately judge alcohol impairment by observing behavior and appearance. Accuracy is highest when focusing on a few individuals, especially in social settings, aiding in detecting impairment presence.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Assessment of differentially methylated loci in individuals with end-stage kidney disease attributed to diabetic kidney disease: an exploratory study.

Clinical epigenetics·2021
Same author

Comparison of methylation patterns generated from genomic and cell-line derived DNA using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip array.

BMC research notes·2019
Same author

Genomic approaches in the search for molecular biomarkers in chronic kidney disease.

Journal of translational medicine·2018
Same author

Proteomic and metabolomic approaches in the search for biomarkers in chronic kidney disease.

Journal of proteomics·2018
Same author

Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms implicate mTOR signalling in the development of new-onset diabetes after transplantation.

BBA clinical·2016
Same author

Chronic stress associated with hypercaloric diet changes the hippocampal BDNF levels in male Wistar rats.

Neuropeptides·2015

Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Science
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Preventing alcohol-impaired driving and alcohol-related harm relies on accurately assessing intoxication levels.
  • Judging alcohol impairment from observable signs is crucial for intervention by hosts, friends, and servers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the accuracy of observers in judging alcohol impairment based on physical and behavioral signs.
  • To determine the effectiveness of instructional guidance on improving impairment judgment accuracy.

Main Methods:

  • Researchers observed and recorded signs of impairment in social drinkers (n=149) across different blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels.
  • Observers (guests, hosts, servers; n=1215) classified drinker impairment, with some receiving instructional guidance.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • All observers exceeded chance in classifying impairment, with higher accuracy in small social groups compared to public settings.
  • Instructional guidance significantly improved accuracy, particularly in detecting impairment levels above 0.04% in social groups.

Conclusions:

  • Individuals possess a notable ability to judge alcohol impairment, with accuracy enhanced by focused observation on fewer individuals.
  • Guidance is most effective for detecting the presence of impairment rather than its precise degree, especially in intimate social settings.