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The influence of sensitivity to reward on reactivity to alcohol‐related cues
Author(s) -
Kambouropoulos Nicolas,
Staiger Petra K.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1046/j.1360-0443.2001.968117510.x
Subject(s) - psychology , cue reactivity , reactivity (psychology) , affect (linguistics) , sensation seeking , personality , alcohol , reward dependence , taste , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , addiction , audiology , social psychology , big five personality traits , craving , psychiatry , medicine , novelty seeking , biochemistry , chemistry , alternative medicine , communication , pathology , neuroscience
Aims . To investigate the role of sensitivity to reward in mediating social drinkers' reactivity to alcohol cues.
Design . A standard cue‐reactivity paradigm was employed. Two groups of social drinkers (heavy and light) were assessed after exposure to the sight, smell and taste of a neutral cue (water) and then an alcohol cue (glass of beer).
Setting . Sessions were conducted in a laboratory based environment.
Participants . Twenty heavy (12 males, eight females) and 18 light social drinkers (seven males, 11 females) were recruited; mean age was 23.6 years.
Measurements . The Card Arranging Reward Responsivity Objective Test (CARROT), assessing behavioural reponsiveness to a monetary incentive; urge to drink; positive affect; and the BAS scales, assessing sensitivity to reward.
Findings . Heavy drinkers displayed a significant increase in responsivity to rewards (i.e. CARROT) and self‐reported urge to drink, but not positive affect, after exposure to alcohol. For the heavy drinkers, heightened sensitivity to reward (i.e. BAS scales) was significantly related to cue‐elicited urge to drink and positive affect.
Conclusion . The results are consistent with a conditioned appetitive motivational model of alcohol use and suggest that Gray's theory of personality may be of some benefit in explaining variation in reactivity responses.