COVARIANCE STRUCTURE MODELS OF EXPECTANCY

Antecedent variables under the broad categories of genetic, environmen tal and cultural influences have been linked to the risk for alcohol a buse. Such risk factors have not been shown to result in high correlat ions with alcohol consumption and leave unclear an understanding of th e mechanism by which these variables lead to increased risk. This stud y employed covariance structure modeling to examine the mediational in fluence of stored information in memory about alcohol, alcohol expecta ncies in relation to two biologically and environmentally driven antec edent variables, family history of alcohol abuse and a sensation-seeki ng temperament in a college population. We also examined the effect of criterion contamination on the relationship between sensation-seeking and alcohol consumption. Results indicated that alcohol expectancy ac ts as a significant, partial mediator of the relationship between sens ation-seeking and consumption, that family history of alcohol abuse is not related to drinking outcome and that overlap in items on sensatio n-seeking and alcohol consumption measures may falsely inflate their r elationship.