Alcohol-related image priming and aggression in adolescents aged 11-14.
In adults, alcohol-related stimuli prime aggressive responding without ingestion or belief of ingestion. This represents either experiential or socially-and culturally-mediated learning. Using a laboratory-based competitive aggression paradigm, we replicated adult findings in 103 11-14 year old adolescents below the legal UK drinking age. Using a two-independent group design, priming with alcohol-related imagery led participants to deliver louder noise punishments in a competition task than priming with beverage-related images. This effect was stronger in participants scoring low on an internalization measure. Priming effects in relatively alcohol-naïve participants could constitute evidence of socio-cultural transmission of scripts linking alcohol use and aggression. The enhanced effect in lower internalization scorers suggests that alcohol priming might undermine behavioral inhibition processes in otherwise stable adolescents.
Brown
Stephen L
SL
School of Dental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. slbrown@liverpool.ac.uk
Coyne
Sarah M
SM
Barlow
Alexandra
A
Qualter
Pamela
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003463:Cues; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*
D000431:Ethanol