Alcohol use and cognitive functioning in men and women college students.
Two studies of the relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive functioning in men and women college students are presented. Study 1 showed several predicted relationships of decreased cognitive performance on various tests with increased quantity of alcohol per occasion and total lifetime consumption in both women and men. Study 2a was designed to replicate study 1, but the pattern of relationship of cognitive and consumption variables was quite different, e.g., increased cognitive performance was associated with increased quantity per occasion for several tests in males. Study 2b was designed to demonstrate reversibility of the negative effects of consumption on cognition by randomly assigning half of the subjects to abstain for two weeks. Reversibility was not demonstrated. Difficulties in studying these effects in college students are discussed.
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013334:Students