Behavioral Impulsivity Does Not Predict Naturalistic Alcohol Consumption or Treatment Outcomes.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if behavioral impulsivity under multiple conditions (baseline, after alcohol consumption or after serotonin depletion) predicted naturalistic alcohol use or treatment outcomes from a moderation-based contingency management intervention.

Method: The current data analysis pulls information from three phases of a large study: 1) Phase 1 examined baseline and the effects of alcohol use and serotonin depletion on three types of behavioral impulsivity: response initiation (IMT task), response inhibition (GoStop task), and delay discounting (SKIP task); 2) Phase 2 involved 28 days of naturalistic drinking; and 3) Phase 3 involved 3 months of contingency management. During phases 2 and 3 alcohol use was measured objectively using transdermal alcohol monitors.

The Potential Clinical Utility of Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring Data to Estimate the Number of Alcoholic Drinks Consumed.

Objectives: Transdermal alcohol monitoring is used extensively in forensic settings to identify whether individuals have violated court-ordered mandates to abstain from drinking. Despite widespread use in that setting, comparatively few studies have explored the clinical utility of transdermal alcohol monitoring. Furthermore, of the few studies conducted, most have relied on the forensically established conservative criteria to identify whether or not a drinking episode has occurred.

Using Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring to Detect Low-Level Drinking.

Background: Several studies demonstrate the utility of Alcohol Monitoring Systems' (AMS) transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) monitor to objectively quantify drinking. AMS standard criteria (i.e.

Using contingency management procedures to reduce at-risk drinking in heavy drinkers.

Background: Treatments for alcohol use disorders typically have been abstinence based, but harm reduction approaches that encourage drinkers to alter their drinking behavior to reduce the probability of alcohol-related consequences, have gained in popularity. This study used a contingency management procedure to determine its effectiveness in reducing alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers.

Methods: Eighty-two nontreatment-seeking heavy drinkers (ages 21 to 54, M = 30.

Assessing the Validity of Participant-Derived Compared to Staff-Derived Values to Compute a Binge Score.

Aims: This study examined the validity of two methods of classifying binge drinkers.

Methods: Adult drinkers (n = 166) completed the Alcohol Use Questionnaire (AUQ) and a Timeline Followback (TLFB) interview to characterize drinking during the past 28 days. Using Townshend and Duka's (2005) recommendations, answers on three AUQ items (average drinks per hour, number of times drunk within the prior 6 months and percentage of times drunk when drinking) were used to derive a binge score that was then used to classify drinkers as Binge, Non-Binge and Unclassifiable.

Effects of tryptophan depletion and a simulated alcohol binge on impulsivity.

Researchers have suggested binge drinkers experience disproportionate increases in impulsivity during the initial period of drinking, leading to a loss of control over further drinking, and that serotonergic mechanisms may underlie such effects. We examined the effects of a simulated alcohol binge and tryptophan depletion on 3 types of impulsivity-response initiation (immediate memory task [IMT]), response inhibition (GoStop task), and delay discounting (single key impulsivity paradigm [SKIP])-and tested whether observed effects were related to real-world binging. Adults (N = 179) with diverse drinking histories completed a within-subject crossover design over 4 experimental days.

Transdermal alcohol concentration data collected during a contingency management program to reduce at-risk drinking.

Background: Recently, we demonstrated that transdermal alcohol monitors could be used in a contingency management procedure to reduce problematic drinking; the frequency of self-reported heavy/moderate drinking days decreased and days of no to low drinking increased. These effects persisted for three months after intervention. In the current report, we used the transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) data collected prior to and during the contingency management procedure to provide a detailed characterization of objectively measured alcohol use.

Use of continuous transdermal alcohol monitoring during a contingency management procedure to reduce excessive alcohol use.

Background: Research on contingency management to treat excessive alcohol use is limited due to feasibility issues with monitoring adherence. This study examined the effectiveness of using transdermal alcohol monitoring as a continuous measure of alcohol use to implement financial contingencies to reduce heavy drinking.

Methods: Twenty-six male and female drinkers (from 21 to 39 years old) were recruited from the community.

Accounting for sex-related differences in the estimation of breath alcohol concentrations using transdermal alcohol monitoring.

Rationale: Previously, we reported methods to estimate peak breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC) from transdermal alcohol concentrations (TAC) under conditions where alcohol consumption was controlled to produce similar BrAC levels in both sexes.

Objective: This study characterized differences in the relationship between BrAC and TAC as a function of sex and developed a model to predict peak BrAC that accounts for known sex differences in peak BrAC.

Methods: TAC and BrAC were monitored during the consumption of a varying number of beers on different days.

Decision-making heuristics and biases across the life span.

We outline a contextual and motivational model of judgment and decision-making (JDM) biases across the life span. Our model focuses on abilities and skills that correspond to deliberative, experiential, and affective decision-making processes. We review research that addresses links between JDM biases and these processes as represented by individual differences in specific abilities and skills (e.