The subjective and reinforcing effects of visual and olfactory stimuli in alcohol drinking.
Nonpharmacological cues associated with drug intake may influence subjective and reinforcing effects of those drugs. Social drinkers (N = 80) participated in 2 sessions in which they rated and then consumed ad lib their preferred beer (with participants blind to brand). Visual and olfactory stimuli were obscured during 1 session (blocked) and not obscured during the other (unblocked). Dependent measures included ratings of "liking", "want another", and "desire to drink"; subjective mood; and ad lib beer consumption (reinforcement). Most ratings and ad lib consumption were lower during the blocked versus the unblocked condition. There were no interactions of blockade condition with sex and no effect of blockade on mood. These findings show that nonpharmacological stimuli associated with alcohol consumption influence alcohol's subjective and reinforcing effects.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. perkinska@msx.upmc.edu
Kenneth A
KA
Perkins
Melinda
M
Ciccocioppo
Lynette
L
Jacobs
Todd
T
Doyle
Anthony
A
Caggiula
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012903:Smell / Q000187:drug effects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000187:drug effects
D000431:Ethanol