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.