Alcohol use as a behavioural sign of disinhibition: evidence from J.A. Gray's model of personality.
Based on Gray's Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, the influence of behavioural disinhibition upon alcohol consumption was studied. A sample of undergraduates answered different questionnaires related to the Behavioural Inhibition System and Behavioural Activation System. In relation to alcohol use, three aspects of alcohol consumption were assessed: frequency, quantity of alcohol intake and the age at first drink. From a series of correlation and regression analyses, we found that both high scores on BAS-related scales and low scores on those scales related to the BIS were jointly associated with current alcohol-taking habits. Additionally, the Sensitivity to Reward (SR) scale (BAS) was negatively correlated with, and a predictor of, the onset age of alcohol use. We conclude by proposing that research on alcohol use can benefit from this well-grounded theory of the neuropsychology of the individual differences.
Pardo
Yolanda
Y
Unitat de Psicologia Mèdica, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. Yolanda.Pardo@uab.es
Aguilar
Raúl
R
Molinuevo
Beatriz
B
Torrubia
Rafael
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009484:Neuropsychology; D010551:Personality; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012201:Reward; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology