Biomedical subjects

M Earleywine

Publications and source records attributed to M Earleywine.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1992

Factor structure and correlates of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire.

Cloninger has proposed a model linking personality characteristics to patterns of responses to various stimuli, including alcohol. The model also uses personality characteristics to divide alcoholics into two types. In order to assess the relevant aspects of personality, the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) was developed. This study examined the factor structure and correlates of the questionnaire to shed light on its validity. A confirmatory factor analysis of the TPQ failed to replicate the three proposed factors of novelty seeking, harm avoidance and reward dependence. Alternative models also failed to fit the data. The three factors were correlated with other personality measures theoretically linked to drinking (MacAndrew, Socialization and Sensation-Seeking scales), quantity and frequency measures of alcohol use and a measure of alcohol abuse (the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test). The pattern of correlations provides evidence for the convergent validity of the TPQ. Nevertheless, the failure to replicate the factor structure suggests that the scale requires further revision before the model can be adequately tested.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Sensation seeking explains the relation between behavioral disinhibition and alcohol consumption.

Research using latent variable analysis revealed a strong relation between behavioral disinhibition, as measured by the MacAndrew and Socialization scales, and drinking habits (Earleywine, Finn, & Martin, 1990). Theoretical reasons for this link remain unclear. Each of these constructs could relate to a third variable that could account for the covariation between them. Sensation seeking seemed a likely third variable, given its previously established connection to alcohol consumption. Models of the potential links between these constructs were tested on self-report data provided by college men. LISREL modeling revealed that the relation between behavioral disinhibition and drinking could be accounted for by the relation of each to sensation seeking. The findings are discussed as further support for the connection between specific individual differences and alcohol consumption.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1991

The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire and the inherited risk for alcoholism.

The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) (Cloninger, 1987c) was administered to four groups of young men. The first group was composed of nonalcoholic sons of male alcoholics with extensive multigenerational family histories of male alcohol abuse. The second was made up of nonalcoholic men with alcoholic fathers. The third group was composed of nonalcoholic men with no family history of alcoholism, taken from the general population. The fourth group contained male undergraduates with no family history of alcoholism. There were no significant differences between the mean scores obtained by members of all four groups on the three major subscales of the TPQ.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed1990

Identification of nonalcoholic and alcoholic beers: effects of consumption practices and beer brand.

Because nonalcoholic beer provides sensory cues that simulate alcoholic beer, this beverage may be more effective than other placebos in contributing to a credible manipulation of expectancy to receive alcohol. The present experiment assessed the sensory identification of nonalcoholic and alcoholic beers. Subjects with higher beer consumption practices were more accurate than subjects with lower beer consumption practices in the identification of nonalcoholic beers. Brand of nonalcoholic beer affected the identification performance of subjects with lower beer consumption practices.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Personality risk and alcohol consumption: a latent variable analysis.

Several studies report modest correlations between measures of personality and measures of alcohol consumption. These results have led many to conclude that the relation between personality characteristics and drinking is weak, and that studying such a relation may not be fruitful. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the correlations between measures of certain personality characteristics and drinking may be attenuated due to the imperfect reliability of the measures. By viewing specific measures of personality, and alcohol consumption as fallible indicators of underlying constructs, and using confirmatory factor analysis to estimate the relation between them, a correlation of .80 was found, implying that the relation between personality and drinking may be stronger than correlational analyses suggest.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed1990

Ascending and descending rates of change in blood alcohol concentrations and subjective intoxication ratings.

Subjective feelings of intoxication help determine drinking-related behavior. Most experiments in this area have examined levels of intoxication at different blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) rather than the rate of change of these variables over time. In the present experiments, the rate of change of BACs and of intoxication ratings were compared on both the ascending and the descending limbs of these variables after alcohol challenge. BACs and intoxication ratings reached peak values at the same time when alcohol consumption took 55 min. However, when consumption was rapid (10 min), intoxication ratings reached peak values earlier than did BACs. In both experiments, intoxication ratings returned to baseline sooner than did BACs. The results suggest that internal cues to the effects of alcohol decline rapidly on the descending limb of the blood alcohol curve. The present methodology provides a way to compare the rate of change of variables with different measurement scales.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Some boundary conditions for effective use of alcohol placebos.

The present research assessed the conditions under which subjects who consume alcohol and those who consume a placebo beverage, and who report consuming alcohol on a manipulation check question, are equivalent with respect to subjective responses to alcohol. Male subjects were told that they were drinking alcohol and consumed one of four beverages: alcoholic beer, nonalcoholic beer, vodka and tonic with lime, or tonic with lime. Measures of subjective intoxication, body sensations and breath alcohol were taken at different times during and after beverage consumption. Subjective intoxication ratings were higher for subjects who received alcohol, compared to subjects who received a placebo and reported consuming alcohol, when alcohol subjects achieved blood alcohol concentrations at and above .04%. These two groups did not differ in subjective intoxication ratings when alcohol subjects achieved blood alcohol concentrations below .04%. These data suggest that the orthogonal manipulation of alcohol consumption and expectancy effects is problematic at and above blood alcohol concentrations of .04%.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hangover moderates the association between personality and drinking problems.

This study investigated hangover as a potential mediator or moderator of the relation between personality and drinking problems. Hangover did not appear to mediate the relation, suggesting that the link between personality and drinking problems does not stem from an indirect effect via hangover. Hangover did appear to moderate the relation. Personality and drinking problems correlated significantly for subjects who reported experiencing severe hangovers, but not for those who reported mild hangovers. Those who experience greater hangover may choose to drink more alcohol in order to relieve these adverse effects, and this choice may vary with personality. The theoretical and conceptual implications of mediators and moderators are also discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Personality risk for alcoholism covaries with hangover symptoms.

Previous work relating self-reported hangover symptoms and familial risk for alcoholism was extended to personality risk for alcoholism, as measured by the MacAndrew alcoholism scale (MAC). The MAC predicted a significant amount of unique variance in reported hangover symptoms after controlling for gender, average quantity consumed on a drinking occasion, and fathers' scores on the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (SMAST). Individuals at elevated personality risk for alcoholism apparently experience more acute withdrawal and hangover, which may initiate further drinking to relieve these aversive symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cognitive bias covaries with alcohol consumption.

Cognitive models of behavior led to the prediction that ambiguous stimuli would be interpreted as alcohol-relevant in heavier drinkers. Women were asked to define words that could be interpreted as alcohol-relevant or not (e.g., shot). Two measures served as indicators of a latent construct of cognitive bias: the number of words construed to be related to alcohol, and the position of the first word in the series that was defined as alcohol-relevant. Average quantity, average frequency, and maximum number of drinks imbibed in a single episode served as indicators of a latent construct of alcohol consumption. These two constructs covaried significantly (.44) in a two-factor latent variable analysis that fit the data better than alternative models. These findings support an alcohol-related interpretive bias and suggest hypotheses concerning the types of interpretive preferences that may contribute to alcohol consumption.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Personality risk for alcoholism and alcohol expectancies.

Studies of the association between risk for alcoholism and alcohol expectancies reveal contradictory results. The link between risk and expectancies may vary with the type of expectancy and the limb of the blood alcohol curve. The current study examined the relation between personality risk for alcoholism (as measured by the MacAndrew scale) and anticipated stimulant and sedative effects of alcohol. Even when sex and drinking habits were controlled, subjects at higher risk expected fewer of the aversive, sedative effects of alcohol on both the ascending and descending limbs of the blood alcohol curve. Risk and positive, stimulant effects were orthogonal. These data suggest that high- and low-risk individuals may anticipate experiencing an equal intensity of alcohol's positive effects, but high-risk individuals anticipate negative effects that are less severe. The potential role of these risk-related expectancies in the development of problem drinking is discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Familial risk for alcoholism and hangover symptoms.

Previous work suggests sons of alcoholics (SOAs) report greater hangover symptoms than do sons of nonalcoholics (SONAs) (Newlin & Pretorious, 1990; McCaul, Turkkan, Svilis, & Bigelow, 1991). This study sought to replicate this work and examine the relation between personality risk for alcoholism and hangover. Twenty SOAs and 20 SONAs completed the MacAndrew scale as an index of personality risk for alcoholism. They also completed the McCaul et al. (1991) and Newlin and Pretorious (1990) assessments of hangover after consuming a placebo in one session and alcohol (0.5 g/kg) in two subsequent consecutive sessions. The MacAndrew scale did not covary with hangover. Data revealed main effects for familial risk for both hangover questionnaires. SOAs reported significantly greater hangover symptoms than did SONAs. Individuals at elevated familial risk for alcoholism reportedly experienced more acute withdrawal and hangover, which might contribute to the development of problem drinking.

Adult↗