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The contributions of value‐based decision‐making and attentional bias to alcohol‐seeking following devaluation
Author(s) -
Rose Abigail K.,
Brown Kyle,
Field Matt,
Hogarth Lee
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/add.12152
Subject(s) - attentional bias , alcohol , psychology , devaluation , fixation (population genetics) , developmental psychology , audiology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , cognition , environmental health , population , biochemistry , chemistry , exchange rate , economics , macroeconomics
Aims To investigate the mediating role of attentional bias for alcohol cues on alcohol‐seeking following devaluation of alcohol. Design Between subject. Setting Eye‐tracking laboratory at the University of Liverpool. Participants Student social drinkers ( n = 64). Measurements An operant choice task in which participants chose between simultaneously presented alcohol and non‐alcohol drink rewards, while attentional bias for alcohol and non‐alcohol drink cues was inferred from eye movements. Participants then consumed 30 mL of an alcoholic beverage, which was either presented alone (no devaluation: n = 32) or had been adulterated to taste unpleasant (devaluation: n = 32). Choice and attentional bias for the alcohol and non‐alcohol drink pictures were then measured again. Findings Alcohol devaluation reduced behavioural choice for alcohol ( F = 32.64, P < 0.001) and attentional bias for the alcohol pictures indexed by dwell time ( F = 22.68, P < 0.001), initial fixation ( F = 7.08, P = 0.01) and final fixation ( F = 22.44, P < 0.001). Mediation analysis revealed that attentional bias partially mediated the effect of devaluation on alcohol choice; however, the proportion of the variance accounted for by attentional bias is low to moderate (∼30%). Conclusions Among student social drinkers, attentional bias is only a partial mediator of alcohol choice following devaluation of alcohol. Value‐based decision‐making may be a more important determinant of drinking behaviour among student social drinkers than attentional bias.