Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on February 23, 2009
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2009 44(3):250-255; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agp002
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An Experimental Study on Imitation of Alcohol Consumption in Same-Sex Dyads
1 Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
2 The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
* Corresponding author: Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Tel: +31-24-361-29-55; Fax: +31-24-361-27-76; E-mail: H.Larsen{at}pwo.ru.nl
Received 2 May 2008; first review notified 20 August 2008; in revised form 5 January 2009; accepted 9 January 2009; advance access publication 23 February 2009
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Abstract |
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Aim: In order to study the role of imitation in relation to drinking, alcohol consumption among two peers was examined with experiments in a naturalistic drinking setting. Method: In a bar lab, 135 young adults (52% women) were exposed to either a non-drinking, a light-drinking or a heavy-drinking same-sex model (i.e. a confederate) in a 30-min time-out session. Instead of using a taste task (Quigley and Collins, 1999. The modeling of alcohol consumption: a meta-analytic review. J Stud Alcohol 60:90–8) in which participants were obliged to consume alcohol, in the current study, a design was used in which participants were allowed to drink alcohol but could also choose non-alcoholic beverages. Results: Craving for alcohol was included as a covariate in ANCOVAs. Results showed that the participants consumed substantially more alcohol when exposed to heavy-drinking models compared to light- and non-drinking models. Craving levels were positively related to alcohol consumption during the experiment. Conclusion: Both men and women imitated same-sex peers’ drinking behavior in an ad lib naturalistic bar setting.