@article{ref1,
title="Social drinkers underestimate the additive impairing effects of alcohol and visual degradation on behavioral functioning",
journal="Psychopharmacology",
year="2005",
author="Fillmore, Mark T. and Harrison, Emily L. R.",
volume="177",
number="4",
pages="459-464",
abstract="RATIONALE: Studies have shown that social drinkers are poor estimators of alcohol-induced impairment. Underestimates of blood alcohol concentration and other indices of intoxication are associated with decisions to perform risky behaviors, such as operating a motor vehicle. It is possible that self-evaluations of impaired functioning under alcohol might be particularly compromised in the presence of other sources of impairment. A common source of impairment that co-occurs with alcohol is visual degradation. OBJECTIVES: The present study compared actual and self-evaluated impairment in response to four conditions (0.65 g/kg alcohol, degradation of task-relevant stimuli, alcohol plus visual degradation, and no-treatment control) to determine whether social drinkers would perceive an increase in impairment from the combined treatments. METHODS: Actual psychomotor impairment was measured in 16 social drinkers (eight men) by a pursuit rotor task and their self-evaluations of this impairment were obtained on a rating scale. RESULTS: Alcohol and visual degradation impaired participants' actual performance to a similar degree and, in combination, the impairing effects were additive. Participants' self-evaluation ratings showed that they underestimated the additive impairment produced by the combination of alcohol and visual degradation. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that social drinkers might be unable to appreciate an increase in behavioral impairment when alcohol is consumed in the context of another impairing influence.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0033-3158",
doi="10.1007/s00213-004-1964-x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-004-1964-x"
}