Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors
-
Psychol Addict Behav · Sep 2011
Thinking and drinking: alcohol-related cognitions across stages of adolescent alcohol involvement.
Alcohol-related cognitions, particularly expectancies for drinking and nondrinking and motives for nondrinking, are involved in the initiation, maintenance, and cessation of alcohol use and are hypothesized to play key roles in adolescent decision making. This study explored (a) the relationships between alcohol use expectancies, nondrinking expectancies, and nondrinking motives; (b) the roles of these cognitions across hypothesized developmental stages of adolescent alcohol use; and (c) the relationships between these cognitions and recent or intended future changes in drinking behavior in a cross-sectional sample. Surveys assessing alcohol use behaviors and attitudes were administered to 1,648 high school students. ⋯ Intentions to initiate or reduce drinking in the coming month were also associated with these alcohol-related cognitions. Drinking and nondrinking expectancies and motives for not drinking may play critical roles in decisions to alter alcohol-use behavior during adolescence. Future exploration of temporal relationships between changes in alcohol-related cognitions and behavioral decision making will be useful in the refinement of effective prevention and intervention strategies.
-
Analogous to false memories for the past, gambling behavior may be influenced by the development of vivid, believed false "memories" for future gambling outcomes. We examined the degree to which believed memory-like representations for future gambling wins and losses were associated with prior substantial win experiences, frequency of gambling, risk for problem gambling, and other types of gambling expectancies. Regular gamblers with and without prior substantial wins rated the strength of a specific outcome expectancy, their belief that substantial gambling wins and losses would occur in the future, and rated the strength of "memory" for future gambling wins and losses. ⋯ Belief and memory for future wins correlated positively with frequency of gambling and positive response expectancies (e.g. relaxation when gambling). Belief and memory for future losses correlated with negative outcome expectancies and endorsement of problem gambling risk. Expecations about future wins and losses are likely influenced by believed memory-like representations for future wins and losses.