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The Influence of Both Drinking and Familial Risk Statuses on Cognitive Functioning of Social Drinkers
Author(s) -
Alterman Arthur I.,
Bridges K. Robert,
Tarter Ralph E.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1986.tb05122.x
Subject(s) - psychology , cognition , clinical psychology , personality , developmental psychology , psychiatry , social psychology
Problem and nonproblem drinking, college student sons of alcoholics were compared to problem and nonproMem drinking college student sons of nonalcoholic fathers with respect to cognitive functioning. Problem drinkers performed more poorly on two of the four cognitive tasks, Group Embedded Figures and Symbol‐Digit Paired Associates Learning Task, thus supporting earlier findings of cognitive deficits in problem drinking nonalcoholics. Additionally, sons of alcoholics tended to perform more poorly than sons of nonalcoholic* on the Group Embedded Figures Test Cognitive performance was not predicted by any of four measures of impulsive/antisocial personality and behavior‐preadult antisocial behavior, childhood behavior problems, sensation seeking, and the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale. The findings of the research pointed to the importance of considering both drinking and familial alcoholism risk statuses in studies of the cognitive performance of nonalcoholics. Further implications and limitations of the findings are discussed.