Attentional bias associated with alcohol cues: differences between heavy and occasional social drinkers

Rationale: Previous research has shown an attentional bias toward drug-rela ted stimuli in opiate addicts and toward emotionally threatening words in a nxiety patients. Objective: The primary aim of this study was to investigat e whether non-dependent heavy social drinkers would differ in their selecti ve attention towards alcohol-related stimuli in comparison with a group of occasional social drinkers. Methods: Attentional bias was assessed using al cohol-related pictures and words in a dot probe detection task. Picture and word pairs were visually presented, followed by a dot probe that replaced one of the items. Attentional. bias was determined from latencies in respon ding to the dot probe. Questionnaires were used to examine the relationship s among attention, outcome expectancies after alcohol consumption, and pers onality traits. Higher-order executive function was also measured with two cognitive tasks, recognition memory and attentional shift. Results: The hea vy social drinkers showed an attentional bias towards the alcohol-related s timuli when compared to the occasional social drinkers. The heavy social dr inkers also scored more highly on expectancy factors of sociability and sex uality and lower on the personality traits of self-directedness and persist ence. Conclusion: The results support cognitive theories of addictive behav iour in which the ability of drug-related stimuli to capture attention is s uggested to play a part in drug dependence, craving and relapse.