Compensatory responses to placebo vary with presumed personality "risk" for alcoholism and drinking habits.
Physiological reactions of men who reported intoxication after consuming placebo beer were related to a personality index of presumed "risk" for alcoholism and drinking habits. Presumed personality "risk" varied with decreases in skin conductance. Those at higher "risk" showed a larger compensatory response. Drinking habits varied with decreases in skin temperature. Those who drank more showed larger changes. These results are consistent with work linking risk and compensatory responding, and support compensatory response theory. Nevertheless, these results were found only for a subset of subjects (24 of 81) who reported moderate intoxication after consuming the placebo, limiting generalizability.
Department of Psychology, SGM, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-1061.
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Finn
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D001944:Breath Tests; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000187:drug effects; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D015990:Placebo Effect; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000187:drug effects