Fairbairn, Catharine
(2015)
PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES IN SUBJECTIVE
EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL: A DYNAMIC
EXAMINATION OF THE PATHWAYS
EXPLAINING ALCOHOL-RELATED REWARD.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Through decades of research scientists have found personality traits such as extraversion and sensation-seeking to represent robust risk factors for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Results of survey studies suggest that extraverted individuals gain greater mood enhancement from consuming alcohol than introverted individuals. However, alcohol administration studies to date have not found evidence of alcohol reward-sensitivity among extraverts. Of note, prior alcohol administration studies have examined these (highly social) individuals consuming alcohol alone. In the present study I examined whether extraverted individuals gained greater reward from consuming alcohol in a laboratory-based social drinking paradigm and, further, whether social processes explained alcohol reward sensitivity among extraverts. Social drinkers (n = 720) consumed a moderate dose of alcohol, placebo, or control beverage in groups of three over the course of 36 minutes. Their social interaction was video-recorded, and Duchenne smiling was coded using the Facial Action Coding System. Results suggested that extraverted individuals gained significantly more self-reported mood enhancement from alcohol than introverts. Further, findings of moderated mediation analyses indicated that social processes accounted for alcohol reward-sensitivity among extraverts. Alcohol significantly increased duration of smiles that were shared between group members (simultaneous smiles), and the association between simultaneous smiles and self-reported reward was strongest among extraverts. There was a non-significant trend (p <.10) suggesting sensation seeking moderated the impact of alcohol, but the processes underlying alcohol reward did not differ according to sensation-seeking. Findings point to the importance of considering social processes in the study of individuals vulnerable to alcohol problems and further offer new directions for alcohol research that combines the study of individual differences with the study of mechanism.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Fairbairn, Catharine | cef24@pitt.edu | CEF24 | |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
15 September 2015 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
8 April 2014 |
| Approval Date: |
15 September 2015 |
| Submission Date: |
19 May 2015 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
67 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Psychology |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
alcohol, personality, social interaction |
| Date Deposited: |
15 Sep 2015 13:01 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 13:55 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/10881 |
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