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Biomedical subjects

M Vogel-Sprott

Publications and source records attributed to M Vogel-Sprott.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Evidence that expectancies mediate behavioral impairment under alcohol.

OBJECTIVE: This research tested the hypothesis that social drinkers challenged to expect intense impairment from alcohol will display reduced behavioral impairment under the drug and that the influence of this expectancy challenge diminishes as a function of prior drinking experience. METHOD: Male social drinkers (N = 66) were assigned to one of three equal-sized groups (A, AC, and NT). All subjects were trained on a psychomotor task. They then completed a rating scale which showed that they expected alcohol to mildly impair their task performance. After training, Group A received a moderate dose of alcohol (0.56 g/kg) and performed the task. Group AC received the same dose and, prior to performing the task, their expectancies were challenged by new contradictory information indicating that alcohol would cause intense impairment. Group NT served as a no-treatment control and received no alcohol and no information to challenge their expectancies prior to performing the task. RESULTS: Alcohol impaired performance and, consistent with the hypothesis, Group AC displayed less impairment compared to Group A. In addition, the influence of challenging expectancies diminished in the AC group as a function of the duration of drinking experience, with the more experienced drinkers being less affected by the expectancy challenge and displaying more impairment. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that alcohol-related expectancies concerning impairment may mediate the behavioral effect of alcohol and indicates that individual differences in the duration of drinking experience may influence the case of challenging or manipulating these expectancies.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Behavioral effects of alcohol in novice and experienced drinkers: alcohol expectancies and impairment.

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the relation between an individual's expected and actual impairment under alcohol develops as a function of drinking experience. Fourteen early stage, novice (N) and 14 experienced (E) male social drinkers participated in the research. Group N had been drinking for 20 months or less (mean = 8.1 months). Group E subjects had been drinkers for 24 or more (mean = 42.7 months). All subjects practised a task that measured psychomotor skill (pursuit rotor) and rated the degree to which alcohol was expected to impair their performance on the task. Half of the subjects in each group then performed the task under alcohol (0.56 g/kg). The remainder served as controls and received no beverage prior to performing the task. In accord with the hypothesis, experienced drinkers who expected more impairment performed more poorly under alcohol, whereas novice drinkers' expected and actual impairment were not related. In addition, when novice and experienced drinkers received no beverage, their expectations were unrelated to their drug-free performance. Thus alcohol expectancies were not relevant to performance in a non-drinking situation. These findings contribute new information identifying drinking history as an important factor strengthening the relationship between expectations about the effect of alcohol and behavior under the drug.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Expectancies about alcohol-induced motor impairment predict individual differences in responses to alcohol and placebo.

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.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The expected drug and its expected effect interact to determine placebo responses to alcohol and caffeine.

This study tested placebo responses in psychomotor performance when caffeine or alcohol was expected. Fifty male university students were assigned to one of four placebo groups or to a no-treatment control group. Two groups received placebo caffeine and two received placebo alcohol. Subjects performed 12 trials on a pursuit rotor task and performance was measured by the percent time on target. Then they received information about the expected drug effect on the task. One caffeine placebo group (C+) and one alcohol placebo group (A+) were led to expect enhanced performance on the task. The other caffeine placebo group (C-) and alcohol placebo group (A-) were led to expect impaired performance. Subjects subsequently performed 12 trials on the task. An interaction was obtained between the expected type of effect and the expected type of drug. The C+ group displayed superior performance compared to the C- group, and the reverse relationship was observed between the A+ and A- group. In addition, subjects led to expect alcohol-induced impairment (A-) performed better than subjects led to expect caffeine-induced impairment (C-). Subjects also reported greater motivation to resist impairment when they expected alcohol rather than caffeine. The research indicates that understanding and predicting placebo responses may require consideration of the drug that is expected as well as its expected effect.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Response outcomes affect the retention of behavioral tolerance to alcohol: information and incentive.

Twenty-four male undergraduates acquired tolerance during three sessions where they received moderate doses of alcohol (0.62 g/kg) and repeatedly performed a motor skill task with immediate knowledge of results (KR) on each trial. Subjects were assigned to one of four groups (n = 6) before a retention test session where two groups received alcohol and two expected alcohol but received a placebo. The effect on tolerance retention of withholding KR was tested in alcohol group A. The effect of an incentive in the absence of KR was examined in the other alcohol group (AM) that was offered a delayed monetary reward for nonimpaired performance. Both alcohol groups failed to retain tolerance and their impairment did not differ. The effect of substituting the incentive for KR on a drug-compensatory response to placebo was examined in group PM by comparing its performance to group PC where KR was continued. A compensatory response (i.e., performance superior to drug-free baseline) was displayed by the PC group but not by group PM. Thus, despite a monetary incentive to perform well, tolerance to alcohol and a compensatory response to placebo were both disrupted by withholding KR. The results were interpreted in terms of the information about performance conveyed by KR.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Impairment and recovery under repeated doses of alcohol: effects of response-outcomes.

This research examined the behavioral effect of alcohol during rising and declining blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) when the dose was repeated three times (mean peak BAC = 78 mg/100 ml). A total of 36 male social drinkers learned a complex psychomotor task and subsequently performed it at intervals after alcohol was received. Subjects performed under one of two conditions: an experimental (E) treatment associated drug-compensatory (nonimpaired) task performance with a positively reinforcing outcome or a control (C) treatment associated no environmental consequence with performance. E treatment diminished impairment at all positions on the BAC curve and carried over to result in progressively less impairment when the dose was repeated. In contrast, C treatment tended to increase impairment around the BAC curve with repeated doses. The rate of recovery during declining BACs remained stable across sessions and was not altered by the treatments. The results imply that impairment under a dose of alcohol is governed by two processes: response-outcome associations that determine the amount of impairment displayed under a dose and some adaptive process that determines the rate of recovery with time during exposure to a dose.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Expected effect of caffeine on motor performance predicts the type of response to placebo.

Two experiments (N = 56) investigated the relationship between subjects' expectancies concerning the effect of caffeine on a motor skill, and the type of placebo response. Male subjects were assigned to four groups. Three groups expected to receive caffeine but received a placebo. Prior to the placebo, two of the groups received information about the effect of caffeine on a motor skill task which led one group E(+) to expect enhanced performance, and the other E(-) to expect impairment. The third placebo group received no information E(?). A control group E(0) received no beverage, so neither caffeine nor any effect on performance was expected. The expected type of effect predicted the type of placebo response displayed. Group E(+) displayed greater improvement under placebo than did group E(0), and group E(-) performed more poorly than those in group E(0). No placebo response was observed in group E(?). Placebo effects on mood were correlated with subjects' predictions about the effect of caffeine on mood. The role of expectancies in response to placebos and psychoactive drugs is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Learning alcohol tolerance by mental or physical practice.

Five groups of six male social drinkers learned a psychomotor task (Tracometer) and subsequently attended five sessions to perform the task after drinking. On each of the first four sessions, subjects received 0.62 g/kg alcohol. On session 5, a placebo was administered when alcohol was expected. During treatment sessions 1-3, two groups performed the task with a valuable consequence for drug-compensatory performance: either information (IO) or information plus money (MI). This MI experience was mentally rehearsed by a third group (MR). Two control groups performed the task, either with no outcome (N), or with money for compensatory performance but no information about earnings until the study concluded (MO). Sessions 4 and 5 assessed the effect of the prior treatments when all groups performed the task with money and information. Groups MI, IO and MR displayed comparable and significantly more tolerance and a stronger compensatory response to placebo than control groups MO and N. The evidence indicates that mental or physical practice associating drug-compensatory performance with some valuable outcome enhances tolerance to moderate doses of alcohol.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Learned tolerance to alcohol: mental rehearsal with imagined consequences.

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that the acquisition of a new response is enhanced by mental rehearsal which includes the imagined consequence of mental performance. A total of 48 males participated in the research. Experiment 1 tested drug-free learning of a motor skill task. Experiment 2 used the same task to test the acquisition of a drug-compensatory response (i.e., tolerance) under alcohol. Subjects in each experiment were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: mental rehearsal with imagined consequences (C), mental rehearsal with no imagined consequences (N), and rest (R). Both experiments confirmed the hypothesis. C treatment yielded superior drug-free performance, and a greater tolerance. The effect of N treatment was intermediate, and R treatment was least effective. It was concluded that incorporating an imagined consequence of mental performance enhances the learning of alcohol tolerance and the acquisition of a motor skill. Factors that may have contributed to the marginal efficacy of N treatment were discussed, and research implications were considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Learning alcohol tolerance: the contribution of response expectancies.

This paper reviews research on tolerance developed by task practice under alcohol, and concludes that tolerance in such a situation is influenced by the environmental consequence of drug-compensatory performance. Analysis of the evidence proposes that a learned association between the response and its consequence results in a response expectancy. When the consequence of drug-compensatory performance is more valuable, more tolerance is displayed. Support for this learning analysis is provided by some recent alcohol research indicating that response expectancies affecting tolerance can also be acquired by mental rehearsal of performance and its outcome under drug. Further, these response expectancies may be acquired during the course of a single drug dose, and may alter the display of acute tolerance to alcohol. Additional theoretical predictions are discussed, and the possible social and clinical relevance of the evidence is considered.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Consequences of behavior influence the effect of alcohol.

Four groups of six male social drinkers learned a complex psychomotor task and then performed it 20 times after drinking a dose of 0.60 g alcohol/kg. Group C received money contingent on the display of nonimpaired performance under alcohol. Group I received a less valuable outcome (information only). Group R received money scheduled randomly with respect to compensatory performance, and group N received no outcome for performance under drug. A briefer duration of impairment, faster recovery at higher BACs, and less impairment during declining alcohol levels was displayed by group C, followed in order by I, R, and N, which displayed least resistance to alcohol. These results are consistent with other evidence demonstrating that these particular treatments have a similar effect on chronic alcohol tolerance. Taken together, the findings imply that the learned expectation of some valuable consequence for drug compensatory performance enhances behavioral tolerance to single and repeated doses of alcohol.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Cognitions and alcohol-influenced performance: the impact of reinforcement contingencies.

The effects of different reinforcement conditions on self-reported cognitions and task performance under the influence of alcohol were examined. Four groups of male university students attended a series of four drinking sessions. During the sessions, the groups performed a visual tracking task under different reinforcement conditions which influence the speed of acquisition of behavioural tolerance to the impairing effects of alcohol. At the end of each session, subjects completed a questionnaire intended to elicit any thoughts, feelings, ideas or images they experienced during the session. Their responses were scored in categories related to alcohol effects, task performance and motivation. The groups differed significantly on numbers of self-reported cognitions related to general alcohol effects and to alcohol effects on task performance; these differences corresponded to differences in the speed of tolerance development. In the group that acquired tolerance most rapidly, several aspects of task performance were significantly correlated with cognitions. These data provide support for the suggestion that cognitive activity may be an important factor in individuals' responses to alcohol and other drugs.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Reinforcement reduces behavioural impairment under an acute dose of alcohol.

Two experiments employed a total of 25 male social drinkers who learned a complex psychomotor task (Tracometer) and subsequently performed it 20 times under alcohol (0.60 g absolute alcohol/kg) while blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) rose and fell. In each experiment, one group received reinforcement for drug-compensatory performance (RP) and one received no reinforcement (P). The BACs associated with the onset and offset of behavioral impairment under the dose were measured, and these thresholds were significantly higher in RP than P groups; reinforcement delayed the onset and also hastened the offset of drug effects. The accelerated recovery from impairment was considered to imply that reinforcement may facilitate the adaptive process involved in acute tolerance. Since this same reinforcement treatment accelerates the development of tolerance to repeated doses of alcohol, the results of the present research suggest that the behavioural effect of acute and chronic doses may both be similarly influenced by environmental learning factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Family history of problem drinking among young male social drinkers: behavioral effects of alcohol.

Two experiments examined the behavioral effect of alcohol on male social drinkers aged 19-25, who differed in their family histories of problem drinking--21 reported a problem drinker in their immediate family (FH+) and 22 had no such family history (FH-). These groups did not differ in age, weight or absolute alcohol per kg of body weight typically consumed on social occasions. After drinking absolute alcohol (0.83 ml/kg), subjects performed bead stringing and hand steadiness tasks when their blood alcohol levels (BALs) averaged 63 mg/dl on the rising and the declining limb of the BAL curve. The experiments consistently demonstrated that FH+ individuals displayed a greater degree of impairment on the tasks. One of the experiments also explored subjective ratings of the effects of alcohol at matching BALs and found no significant group differences. The greater behavioral sensitivity to alcohol of FH+ subjects and their apparent absence of a concomitant enhanced perception of its effects were discussed as a potential component of their higher risk of developing problem drinking.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Mental rehearsal of a task before or after ethanol: tolerance facilitating effects.

Two groups of six male social drinkers learned a psychomotor skill task and then drank the same dose of ethanol (0.62 g/kg) on each of five sessions. Sessions 1 and 5 provided pre-treatment and post-treatment measures of task performance under ethanol. During treatment sessions 2, 3 and 4, one group (MRBD) mentally rehearsed the task before drinking and the other group (MRAD) mentally rehearsed the task after drinking. On the post-treatment session, the MRAD group was significantly less impaired (i.e. more tolerant) than the MRBD group. Thus, mental rehearsal of a task under ethanol facilitates the development of tolerance to the behavioral effects of the drug.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Mental rehearsal and classical conditioning contribute to ethanol tolerance in humans.

Four groups of six male social drinkers learned a motor skill task and then drank the same dose of ethanol (0.62 g/kg) during each of five drinking sessions. Sessions 1 and 5 provided pre- and posttreatment measures of ethanol effects on task performance. During treatment sessions 2 to 4, two groups mentally rehearsed (MR) the task after drinking, either in the same test environment (MRSE) or in an entirely different environment resembling a library (MRDE). The other two groups received no MR after consuming ethanol, and simply performed an auditory detection task, either in the same test room (NMRSE) or in the different room (NMRDE). Posttreatment impairment of task performance under ethanol revealed significant main effects of mental rehearsal (P = 0.04) and environment (P = 0.04). The MRSE group was least impaired (i.e., most tolerant), and the NMRDE group was most impaired. Thus, repeated mental rehearsal and repeated exposure to the same test environment under ethanol each facilitated behavioral tolerance to ethanol.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Family history of problem drinking among young male social drinkers: reliability of the Family Tree Questionnaire.

The test-retest reliability of the Family Tree Questionnaire to detect drinking problems of family members was examined in a sample of 60 male volunteer university undergraduates. The Questionnaire was completed twice. The first occasion employed a group administration procedure, and an average of 4 months later it was readministered on an individual basis. Thus the length of time and the different administration procedures provided an extreme test of the reliability of the Questionnaire. Test-retest scores of the number of problem drinkers reported by a subject were significantly correlated for first degree and for second degree relatives. The reliability of the classification of an individual family member was also satisfactory. The Family Tree Questionnaire thus appears to be a potentially useful, reliable tool for assessing the incidence of problem drinkers within families of young male social drinkers.

Adult↗