13 research outputs found
Deficits in episodic future thinking following acute alcohol consumption
Rationale
Acute alcohol consumption adversely affects many cognitive abilities, including episodic memory and executive functioning. However, no study to date has tested whether these acute effects of alcohol also extend to episodic future thinking (EFT). This is a surprising omission given that EFT refers to the ability to imagine oneself experiencing the future, a highly adaptive ability that has been implicated in many important functional behaviours. EFT is also thought to impose demands on episodic memory and executive control.
Objectives
The current study was designed to provide the first test of whether a moderate dose of alcohol influences EFT and whether any observed EFT difficulties are secondary to broader problems in episodic memory and executive functioning. Sex differences in EFT following acute alcohol consumption were also examined.
Methods
One hundred and twenty-four healthy adult social drinkers were recruited and randomly assigned to either the alcohol (n = 61) or placebo (n = 63) condition. Participants were administered a dose of 0.6 g/kg alcohol or a matched placebo drink.
Results
Relative to the placebo condition, EFT was impaired by acute alcohol consumption. This impairment was underpinned by broader difficulties with episodic memory, but not executive functioning. There were no sex differences in EFT performance following acute alcohol use.
Conclusion
These data provide novel insights into the effects of acute alcohol consumption on EFT and the broader cognitive mechanisms that contribute to these difficulties. The results are discussed in relation to their implications for understanding many of the maladaptive behaviours commonly associated with acute alcohol use
The role of interactions between parents and children in social skills development in children
The association between parenting characteristics and adolescent identity development and moral development
The association of the parent-child attachment relationship :self-efficacy; and personality factors to adjustment to university for the first-year students
A preliminary evaluation of the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program in relation to children's language and parenting stress
The association of temperament, social skills, family functioning, and attachment to friendship quality in middle childhood
Attraction for outgroup members: Is there a role for attitude importance and attitude similarity?
Are occupational gender stereotypes more or less extreme than the dominant gender in that occupation?
The association of temperament and child care characteristics with social skills in preschool-age children
An introductory guide to conducting the Trier Social Stress Test
The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a reliable biopsychological tool to examine the effects of acute stress on psychological and physiological functioning in humans. While the TSST reliably increases hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation, amongst other biomarkers, through a combination of social evaluative threat and uncontrollability, the original protocol is limited in methodological detail that has impacted its reproducibility. Although many studies include a mock job interview and surprise arithmetic task, there are large variations in the timing of events, the number and method of biological (e.g., cortisol) sampling, the administration of a glucose drink, set-up of equipment and rooms, panel composition, and panel interaction with participants. We provide an overview of the potential impact of methodological variations on the stress (cortisol) response. Importantly, we also provide a step-by-step guide as a laboratory manual on how to conduct the TSST. This introductory guide may be a useful and time-saving resource that may also improve the scientific standard and reliability of the reported psychobiological stress effects in future studies