SHYNESS, ALCOHOL EXPECTANCIES, AND DRINKING BEHAVIOR - REPLICATION AND EXTENSION OF SUPPRESSOR EFFECT

The purpose of the present study was to follow-up on previous research which showed that positive expectancies about alcohol's effects opera te as a suppressor variable, revealing a small but significant relatio n between shyness and alcohol use. We replicated the role of alcohol e xpectancies as a suppressor variable, showing a significant inverse re lation between shyness and alcohol use for both men and women. Subject s also completed a measure of negative life consequences resulting:fro m drinking. There was no evidence, however, that alcohol expectancies suppressed the relation between shyness and negative consequences of d rinking. Instead, there was a significant correlation between shyness and negative consequences for men but not for women. Implications of t he growing evidence that shyness is associated with minimal drinking a nd possible avoidance of risky alcohol-related behaviors are discussed . (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.