Search resultsAlcohol effects on inhibitory control of attention: Distinguishing between intentional and automatic mechanisms
Title
Alcohol effects on inhibitory control of attention: Distinguishing between intentional and automatic mechanisms
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2006
Authors
Journal
Psychopharmacology
Volume
188
Issue
3
Pagination
324 - 334
Date published
2006
ISBN
00333158 (ISSN)
Keywords
Administration, Oral, Adult, alcohol, alcohol blood level, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, alcohol intoxication, Alcoholic Intoxication, article, attention, Automatic processes, behavior, Controlled processes, controlled study, Delayed ocular response task, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, drinking behavior, Ethanol, Eye Movement Measurements, Eye Movements, Female, human, human experiment, Humans, Inhibition, Inhibition (Psychology), Intention, male, normal human, priority journal, reaction time, Saccades, Saccadic eye movement, Saccadic interference task, selective attention, task performance, Task Performance and Analysis, Time Factors, visual stimulation
Abstract
Rationale: Recent research has begun to explore the possibility that inhibitory mechanisms of selective attention are particularly susceptible to the impairing effects of moderate doses of alcohol. However, literature also suggests that automatic processes might be more resistant to this impairing effect than controlled processes. Objective: The present study used a delayed ocular response task and a saccadic interference task to examine the effects of alcohol on both intentionally controlled and automatic inhibitory influences on selective attention. Materials and methods: Twelve healthy adults performed both tasks under three doses of alcohol (0.0, 0.45, and 0.65 g/kg). Results: The results showed that alcohol reduced intentional inhibitory control over selective attention but had no effect on automatic inhibitory influences. Conclusion: The present investigation marks the first effort to directly compare alcohol effects on automatic and intentional inhibitory mechanisms of visual attention. The results suggest that attentional processes dependent on intentional inhibitory control may be more susceptible to the impairing effects of a moderate dose of alcohol than processes dependent on automatic inhibition.