The present study sought to examine acute effects of alcohol on cognitive processing and performance within the context of two prominent theories of alcohol's effects; namely, that alcohol restricts the focus of attention (e.g. Steele and Josephs, 1990. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 196-205) and that alcohol impairs response inhibition (e.g. Fillmore and Vogel-Sprott, 1999. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 7, 49-55; Fillmore and Vogel-Sprott, 2000. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 61, 239-246). Forty-five participants were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo level of alcohol (0.04 g/kg), a moderate dose (0.40 g/kg), or a higher dose (0.80 g/kg). Brain electrical activity (ERPs) and behavioral responses (reaction time and accuracy) were measured while participants performed a modified flanker task, in which a target letter was flanked by response-compatible or response-incompatible letters. Analyses of behavioral data showed that alcohol increased response competition in accuracy but not response times, suggesting that alcohol influences response selection more than attentional processes per se. This finding is in-line with predictions derived from the response inhibition model. ERP latency data provided mixed support for both models. ERP amplitude data showed that the high dose of alcohol primarily influenced a mostly frontal negativity in the ERP, present on both correct and incorrect response trials. Differences in self-reported susceptibility to alcohol were most evident in the amplitude of the P3 component. Findings are discussed in terms of the differential effects of acute dose and susceptibility on information processing.

中文翻译：

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饮酒和酒精易感性对认知的影响：心理生理学检查

本研究试图在两种关于酒精影响的重要理论的背景下研究酒精对认知处理和表现的急性影响；即，酒精会限制注意力的集中（例如 Steele 和 Josephs，1990。Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 196-205）并且酒精会损害反应抑制（例如 Fillmore 和 Vogel-Sprott，1999。实验和临床精神药理学，7 , 49-55; Fillmore 和 Vogel-Sprott, 2000. 酒精研究杂志, 61, 239-246)。45 名参与者被随机分配接受安慰剂水平的酒精 (0.04 g/kg)、中等剂量 (0.40 g/kg) 或更高剂量 (0.80 g/kg)。当参与者执行修改后的侧翼任务时，测量脑电活动 (ERP) 和行为反应（反应时间和准确性），其中目标字母的两侧是响应兼容或响应不兼容的字母。对行为数据的分析表明，酒精增加了准确度而非反应时间的反应竞争，这表明酒精比注意力过程本身更能影响反应选择。这一发现与从反应抑制模型得出的预测一致。ERP 延迟数据为两种模型提供了混合支持。ERP 振幅数据显示，高剂量酒精主要影响 ERP 中的大部分正面阴性，在正确和不正确的反应试验中都存在。自我报告的酒精敏感性差异在 P3 分量的幅度中最为明显。根据急性剂量和敏感性对信息处理的不同影响来讨论结果。