title: Context effects and false memory for alcohol words in adolescents.
abstract: This study assessed incidental recognition of Alcohol and Neutral words in adolescents who encoded the words under distraction. Participants were 171 (87 male) 10th grade students, ages 14-16 (M=15.1) years. Testing was conducted by telephone: Participants listened to a list containing Alcohol and Neutral (Experimental--Group E, n=92) or only Neutral (Control--Group C, n=79) words, while counting backwards from 200 by two's. Recognition was tested immediately thereafter. Group C exhibited higher false recognition of Neutral than Alcohol items, whereas Group E displayed equivalent false rates for both word types. The reported number of alcohol TV ads seen in the past week predicted higher false recognition of Neutral words in Group C and of Alcohol words in Group E. False memory for Alcohol words in Group E was greater in males and high anxiety sensitive participants. These context-dependent biases may contribute to exaggerations in perceived drinking norms previously found to predict alcohol misuse in young drinkers.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience Section, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2S1. martin_zack@camh.net
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zack
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sharpley
authors.forename: Clyde W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Dent
authors.forename: Alan W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Stacy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000329:Advertising; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D013334:Students; D014936:Word Association Tests