What do experimental paradigms tell us about alcohol-related aggressive responding?
This article reviews the acute effects of alcohol on aggressive responding. The review is restricted to experimental research that use human subjects. It is concluded that a moderate dose of alcohol does not increase aggression if subjects are unprovoked. Under provocative conditions aggression is increased as a function of alcohol intoxication provided that subjects are restricted to an aggressive response. If subjects also have access to a nonaggressive response, no increase in aggression is observed. Disinhibition and arousal cannot explain the empirical results. A model assuming changes in attentional processes is a more promising explanation.
Gustafson
R
R
Department of Social Sciences, University of Orebro, Sweden.
D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors
D000431:Ethanol