RESIDUAL EFFECTS OF INTOXICATION ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE

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Heavy ("binge") drinking is common among college students and our research indicates that as many as 40% of college seniors believe that alcohol can enhance their academic performance. The proposed study will employ a two-period crossover design with block randomization to measure the effects of heavy drinking (BAC .10) on the next-day academic performance of college seniors. Several studies, including our own, have indicated that even when blood alcohol concentration (BACs) is at or near zero, occupational impairment can occur the morning after heavy drinking. Our studies to date have documented alcohol's residual effects using occupational training simulators to measure performance. The present study will focus on the residual effects of heavy drinking on both next-day academic performance (as measured by standardized academic achievement tests and a quiz on a lecture and reading presented the previous day) and neurobehavioral performance (as measured by validated tests of cognitive impairment). The primary aim of the proposed study is to test the hypothesis that the residual effects of heavy drinking degrade academic performance among college students (N=200). We will dose participants with placebo or alcoholic beverage to a level of 0.10g% BAC the night before they take a practice version of the Graduate Record Examinations (GREs), a quiz on a lecture presented previously and a series of neurobehavioral assessments. We will collect data on participants' demographics and family history of drinking problems. We will also collect information on hangover symptoms the morning after dosing. We will repeat these procedures one week later, switching individuals' dosing status, and administering different but comparable performance tests. In addition to our primary hypothesis looking at degradation in academic performance, we will explore whether residual effects are independent of the severity of hangover symptoms; whether the residual effects of heaving drinking on next-day academic performance are attenuated among participants positive for a family history of alcohol problems, relative to family-negative participants, and whether residual effects are different comparing males and females. Participants will be college seniors matriculating at six Boston colleges. The alcoholic beverage will be beer; placebo will be non-alcoholic beer. We will balance the order of placebo and alcohol administration and the order of the versions of the performance tests.