DISINHIBITION, LEARNING AND RISK FOR ALCOHOLISM

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The proposed study intends to test a model of risk for alcoholism that integrates disinhibited personality with social learning factors. Previous work has focused heavily on risk in men, with an attendant focus on sociopathic traits more prevalent in men. Some research with men has identified a personality characteristic, neurotic extroversion (NE) to related to disinhibition: experimental tests have shown this personality style to predict reward-focused responding with less attention to punishment. The study will test this model: NE leads to disinhibition, as measured by disinhibited task performance. Problem drinking becomes likely when this disinhibited style combines with specific learning about alcohol in the form of high positive expectancies for alcohol's effects. NE and expectancy will each have incremental validity in predicting drinking, expectancy will meditate the influence of NE on drinking, and level of NE may moderate the demonstrated expectancy-drinking relationship.