The influence of sensitivity to reward on reactivity to alcohol-related cues.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of sensitivity to reward in mediating social drinkers' reactivity to alcohol cues.


METHODS
A standard cue-reactivity paradigm was employed. Two groups of social drinkers (heavy and light) were assessed after exposure to the sight, smell and taste of a neutral cue (water) and then an alcohol cue (glass of beer).


METHODS
Sessions were conducted in a laboratory based environment.


METHODS
Twenty heavy (12 males, eight females) and 18 light social drinkers (seven males, 11 females) were recruited; mean age was 23.6 years.


METHODS
The Card Arranging Reward Responsivity Objective Test (CARROT), assessing behavioural responsiveness to a monetary incentive; urge to drink; positive affect; and the BAS scales, assessing sensitivity to reward.


RESULTS
Heavy drinkers displayed a significant increase in responsivity to rewards (i.e. CARROT) and self-reported urge to drink, but not positive affect, after exposure to alcohol. For the heavy drinkers, heightened sensitivity to reward (i.e. BAS scales) was significantly related to cue-elicited urge to drink and positive affect.


CONCLUSIONS
The results are consistent with a conditioned appetitive motivational model of alcohol use and suggest that Gray's theory of personality may be of some benefit in explaining variation in reactivity responses.
Kambouropoulos
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School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, 3152, Australia.
Staiger
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PK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012201:Reward