Alcohol expectancies and sexuality

Alcohol Health & Research World,  Spring, 1991  by Mark S. Goldman,  Laurie Roehrich

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

All subjects also received 2 weeks of training about expectancy effects and self-monitored their exposure to everyday situations that encouraged the development of expectancies (such as advertising). A control group received a conventional intervention (a traditional college drinking prevention program), and a third group received no intervention. Both the older and younger subjects involved in Massey and Goldman's intervention went on to drink less, during a subsequent 1-month period, than did those involved in the conventional program (at least this was true for subjects who were heavier drinkers).

A third study used male subjects who normally consumed, on the average, between 6 and 40 drinks per week (Darkes and Goldman 1991). Two challenge sessions were conducted in addition to didactic presentations. Chellenges included a socialization situation and a sexual situation in which the subjects rated the attractiveness of females shown in slides. Subjects were asked to identify other subjects who had consumed alcohol. Once again, subjects who were heavy drinkers reduced their drinking during a subsequent 2-week period more than did subjects involved in the conventional program and subjects given no treatment. In addition, a measure of transient expectancy levels revealed, in the challenged group but not in the other groups, diminished belief in alcohol's ability to increase sexuality. This suggests that alterations in expectancies effected the changes in drinking behaviors.

The procedures used in the aforementioned studies represent techniques that have just begun to be developed. Future research must monitor lowered drinking levels and expectancy changes for longer periods and in a wider range of drinkers before the procedures can be used in prevention or intervention programs. such procedures may have a special appeal for adolescents in that they can be seen as ways to avoid being "tricked" by adult misconceptions about effects of alcohol. Furthermore, the expectancy challenge is designed to lower the incentive to use alcohol, as opposed to just "putting a lid" on the behavior, which is the emphasis of many current prevention programs.

Conclusions

Inconsistencies between the pharmacological and behavioral effects of alcohol in relation to human sexuality have led to an increased appreciation of psychological factors that may partly govern behavior, including making decisions about drinking. The latest developments in research on alcohol expectancies suggest that information-processing and memory mechanisms (neural "software") may be guides to further understanding the psychological factors. Although limited by the early state of knowledge in cognitive sciencen, a number of current models can be applied usefully to alcohol-related behavior. The research has suggested avenues for prevention and treatment that have not been explored using older models.

References

Athanasiou, R.; Shaver, P.; And Tavris, C. Sex: A Psychology Today report on more than 20,000 responses to 101 questions about sexual attitudes and practices. Psychology Today 4(2):39-52, 1970.