Automatic alcohol motivation in at-risk drinking

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Alcohol use researchers have begun to develop theoretical models for the role of automatically activated (i.e., without the mediation of conscious deliberation) motivational processes in at-risk drinking. However, little research has been conducted to assess how automatic alcohol-motivation associations are represented in memory or how contextual factors may influence the effect of automatic alcohol motivation on behavior. The overarching purpose of this study is to investigate precisely these issues by examining the role of automatic alcohol motivation in the alcohol use behavior of at-risk drinkers. This study will use a sample of 134 at-risk drinkers in a between-groups experimental design (self-regulation resources depleted vs. control group) to assess the relation between automatic alcohol motivation and alcohol consumption in a drinking ask during which participants are motivated both to consume and restrain their consumption. Aim 1: Examine the hypothesis that the automatic activation of alcohol-motivation associations in memory will predict alcohol consumption in an ad lib laboratory drinking task. Aim 2: Examine the hypothesis that resources available for the self-regulation of automatic motivation to drink are limited. Aim 3: Examine the hypothesis that the relation between ad lib drinking behavior and automatic motivational responses to alcohol cues is moderated by the availability of self-regulation resources.