The modeling of alcohol consumption: A meta-analytic review

Objective: Modeling, or the imitation of another's behavior, has been propo sed to influence alcohol consumption. The literature dealing with effects o f modeling on alcohol consumption was reviewed using mete-analytic procedur es in order to determine the strength of the modeling effect and the variab les that moderate the effect. Method. Thirteen studies were examined in whi ch participant's alcohol consumption in the presence of a high consumption model was compared to a low consumption model condition or a no-model condi tion. Analyses were conducted for the four dependent measures utilized in t he literature: amount consumed, blood alcohol concentration, number of sips taken and volume per sip. Mean effect sizes (d) were calculated for each d ependent measure and moderator variables were examined. Results: Modeling h ad a significant effect on all four dependent measures, with the strongest effects being on amount consumed and blood alcohol concentration. In additi on, analyses identified numerous variables that moderate the effect of mode ling on alcohol consumption, including the drinking history of the particip ant, the drinking task used and the nature of the interaction between model and participant. Conclusions: Results indicated that modeling has a strong effect on alcohol consumption; however, several variables do mediate this effect.