title: Implicit and explicit alcohol-related motivations among college binge drinkers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Positive alcohol outcome expectancies and behavioral economic indices of alcohol consumption are related to binge drinking among college students and may reflect explicit and implicit motivations that are differentially associated with this behavior.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study hypothesized that implicit (alcohol purchase task) and explicit (positive expectancy for alcohol's effects) motivations for drinking would not be correlated. It was also hypothesized that greater implicit and explicit motivations would predict alcohol-related risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 297 college student binge drinkers (54% female; 88% European-American; Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: M = 9.53, SD = 5.04). Three indices from the alcohol purchase task (APT) were modeled as a latent implicit alcohol-related motivations variable. Explicit alcohol-related motivations were measured using a global positive expectancy subscale from the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol Questionnaire. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test total, Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index total, and age of drinking onset were modeled as a latent alcohol-related risk variable. Structural equation modeling was used to examine associations amongst implicit motivations, explicit motivations, and alcohol-related risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Implicit and explicit motivations were not correlated. Partially consistent with the second hypothesis, greater implicit motivations were associated with greater alcohol-related risk. Relations between explicit motivations and alcohol-related risk were marginally significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implicit and explicit drinking motivations are differentially associated with problem drinking behaviors. Future research should examine the underlying neurobiological mechanisms associated with these factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA.
authors.forename: Laura C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Herschl
authors.forename: Dennis E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: McChargue
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: MacKillop
authors.forename: Scott F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Stoltenberg
authors.forename: Krista B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Highland
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009042:Motivation; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult