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Alcohol and Alcoholism Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 151-156, 2003
© 2003 Medical Council on Alcohol

ALCOHOL INTOXICATION REDUCES IMPULSIVITY IN THE DELAY-DISCOUNTING PARADIGM

Catherine N. M. Ortner1, Tara K. MacDonald2 and Mary C. Olmstead2,*

1 Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3 and
2 Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada

Received 3 July 2002; in revised form 1 October 2002; accepted 13 October 2002

— Aims: To examine the moderating effects of alcohol myopia on cognitive impulsivity in humans using the delay-discounting paradigm. Methods: Seventy-six male undergraduate students were randomly assigned to sober, placebo or alcohol conditions. In the delay-discounting task, participants made a series of hypothetical choices between a small, immediate reward and a large, delayed reward. To test the predictions of alcohol myopia theory, participants completed a standard version of the task or one containing cues which impelled the impulsive choice (i.e. preference for the small, immediate reward). Participants also completed a personality measure of impulsivity and the go/no-go task, which assesses motor impulsivity. Results: Intoxicated participants tended to discount delayed rewards at lower rates than sober participants, and blood alcohol level was inversely correlated with delay discounting. The impelling cues did not moderate the effects of alcohol on delay discounting. Conclusions: Alcohol intoxication does not always increase cognitive impulsivity and may lead to more cautious decision-making under certain conditions.


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