Flavour conditioning and alcohol: a multilevel model of individual differences

Previous research shows that dependent drinkers respond more strongly to al cohol-related cues and suggests that alcohol cue-reactivity may be relevant to understanding dependence liability. However, a significant weakness in many studies is the fact that cue-reactivity is studied without actually co nditioning subjects; responses to alcohol-related cues are simply assumed t o be conditioned responses. The current report attempts to overcome this we akness by studying alcohol cue-reactivity following a flavour-conditioning procedure. A statistical model of individual differences in cue-reactivity was constructed using previous alcohol exposure, alcohol tolerance, and per sonality as predictor variables. Although there was no evidence for overall differences in subjective and psychophysiological responses to alcohol and soft-drink paired flavours, there were marked individual differences in re sponding to the different flavours. The statistical model showed that rewar d sensitivity thigh extroversion, high neuroticism), heavier levels of drin king, and higher levels of tolerance to the intoxicating effects of alcohol were associated with lower levels of skin conductance in the presence of a lcohol paired flavours. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.