Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Feb;36(2):361-8.
doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2011.01620.x. Epub 2011 Sep 6.

To approach or avoid alcohol? Automatic and self-reported motivational tendencies in alcohol dependence

Helen Barkby  1 , Joanne M Dickson, Louise Roper, Matt Field
Affiliations
Free PMC article

To approach or avoid alcohol? Automatic and self-reported motivational tendencies in alcohol dependence

Helen Barkby et al. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2012 Feb.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Background: Motivational conflict is central to alcohol dependence, with patients reporting motivation to limit their drinking at the same time as urges to drink alcohol. In addition, dual process models of addiction emphasise the power of automatic cognitive processes, particularly automatic approach responses elicited by alcohol-related cues, as determinants of drinking behavior. We aimed to examine the strength of automatic and self-reported alcohol approach and avoidance tendencies among alcohol-dependent inpatients relative to matched controls.

Methods: A total of 63 alcohol-dependent patients undergoing detoxification and 64 light-drinking controls completed a stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) task, which assesses the speed of categorization of alcohol-related pictures by making symbolic approach and avoidance movements. We also included modified versions of the SRC task to assess automatic motivational conflict, that is, strong approach and avoidance tendencies elicited simultaneously by alcohol-related cues.

Results: There were no differences between alcohol-dependent patients and controls on the SRC task, although individual differences in the quantity of alcohol consumed before entering treatment were significantly positively correlated with the strength of approach (but not avoidance) tendencies elicited by alcohol-related cues. Automatic approach tendencies were also positively correlated with self-reported "approach" inclinations and negatively correlated with self-reported "avoidance" inclinations.

Conclusions: Although alcohol-dependent patients and matched controls did not differ on automatic approach and avoidance tendencies elicited by alcohol-related cues, individual differences in the quantity of alcohol consumed before entering treatment were associated with the strength of automatic approach tendencies elicited by alcohol cues.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bechara A, Dolan S, Denburg N, Hindes A, Anderson SW, Nathan PE. Decision-making deficits, linked to a dysfunctional ventromedial prefrontal cortex, revealed and stimulant abusers. Neuropsychologia. 2001;39:376–389. - PubMed
    1. Breiner MJ, Stritzke WGK, Lang AR. Approaching avoidance: a step essential to the understanding of craving. Alcohol Res Health. 1999;23:197–206. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cacioppo JT, Gardner WL, Berntson GG. The affect system has parallel and integrative processing components: form follows function. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1999;76:839–855.
    1. Cox WM, Fadardi JS, Klinger E. Motivational processes underlying implicit cognition in addiction. In: Wiers RW, Stacy AW, editors. Handbook of Implicit Cognition and Addiction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 2006. pp. 253–264.
    1. Cox WM, Hogan LM, Kristian MR, Race JH. Alcohol attentional bias as a predictor of alcohol abusers’ treatment outcome. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2002;68:237–243. - PubMed

Publication types