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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.06.015 Byline: Peter R. Giancola Keywords: Executive functioning; Aggression; Alcohol use Abstract: The research literature on the relation between cognitive functioning and alcohol consumption is inconsistent and difficult to interpret. The purpose of this study was to test a causal model that might help reconcile some of these conflicts. The model specifies that aggressivity is an important intermediary mechanism underlying the relation between executive functioning (EF) and alcohol consumption. Participants were 310 (152 men and 158 women) healthy social drinkers between 21 and 35 years of age tested in a laboratory setting. EF was measured with a battery of neuropsychological tests. Aggressivity and alcohol consumption (as well as cigarette and drug use frequency) were measured with self-report and interview formats. Aggressivity played a mechanistic role in the relation between EF and alcohol/drug use for men but not for women. Women evinced some unexpected positive relations between EF and alcohol use. This study serves as a first step in trying to reconcile previous inconsistent findings regarding the relation between cognitive functioning and alcohol use by demonstrating that a better understanding of this relation involves considering aggressivity as an intermediary variable. Author Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 115 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, United States

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.02.019 Byline: Peter R. Giancola (a), Dominic J. Parrott (b), Robert M. Roth (c) Keywords: Alcohol; Aggression; Temperament; Executive functioning Abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to test the hypothesis that executive functioning (EF) would mediate the relation between difficult temperament (DT) and intoxicated aggression. Participants were 165 social drinking men and women between the ages of 21-35years old. DT was measured using the Dimension of Temperament Scale - Revised and EF was measured using seven well-established neuropsychological tests. Following consumption of an alcoholic beverage, participants were tested on a laboratory aggression measure in which electric shocks were received from and administered to a fictitious opponent under the guise of a competitive reaction time task. Aggression was operationalized as shock intensities administered to the fictitious opponent under conditions of low and high provocation. Results indicated that EF successfully mediated the relation between DT and intoxicated aggression for men but not for women. These findings are discussed with regard to how they influence current models of aggressive behavior as well as their implications for future violence prevention efforts. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 115 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, USA (b) Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, USA (c) Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School, USA Article Note: (footnote) [star] This research was supported by grant R01-AA-11691 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2005.02.011 Byline: Peter R. Giancola, Dominic J. Parrott Keywords: Alcohol; Aggression; Drug Use; Sensation seeking; Impulsivity Abstract: The goals of this study were to determine the effects of past-year stimulant and sedative drug use on alcohol-related aggression and to examine whether the relation between stimulant drug use and intoxicated aggression is better accounted for by behavioral disinhibition. Participants were 330 healthy social drinkers (164 men and 166 women) between 21 and 35 years of age. Past-year stimulant and sedative use and behavioral disinhibition were assessed via self-report questionnaires. Following the consumption of either an alcohol or a placebo beverage, participants were tested on a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm [Taylor, S. (1967). Aggressive behavior and physiological arousal as a function of provocation and the tendency to inhibit aggression. Journal of Personality, 35, 297-310] in which mild electric shocks were received from, and administered to, a fictitious opponent. Aggressive behavior was operationalized as the shock intensities administered to the fictitious opponent under conditions of low and high provocation. Results indicated that alcohol significantly strengthened the relation between stimulant drug use and aggression, but only among men. Behavioral disinhibition did not account for this effect. Regardless of past-year drug use, alcohol did not facilitate aggression among women. The present findings suggest that stimulant drug use may be a risk factor for intoxicated aggression for men. However, the underlying mechanisms accounting for this effect remain unclear. Author Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 115 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, United States

Abstract: Background: It is well established that individual difference factors modulate aggression under the acute effects of alcohol. In this investigation, we tested the hypothesis that one core dimension of psychopathy, Impulsive Antisociality, would modulate intoxicated aggression, whereas another dimension, Fearless Dominance, would not. Methods: Participants were 516 young social drinkers (253 men and 263 women). Psychopathy was measured using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; Lilienfeld and Andrews, 1996). Following the consumption of either an alcohol or a placebo beverage, aggression was measured with a task in which participants administered and received electric shocks to/from a fictitious opponent under the guise of a competitive reaction-time task. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses supported our hypothesis: Impulsive Antisociality predicted aggression under alcohol, whereas Fearless Dominance did not. Conclusions: Persons who tend to endorse antisocial and impulsive externalizing behaviors appear to be at greater risk for aggression under the acute influence of alcohol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This experiment provided a preliminary test of whether the Alcohol Myopia Model (AMM; Steele & Josephs, 1990) would provide a guiding framework for the prevention of alcohol-related violence. The model contends that alcohol has a “myopic” effect on attentional capacity that presumably facilitates violence by focusing attention onto more salient provocative, rather than less salient inhibitory, cues in hostile situations. Participants were 16 intoxicated male social drinkers who completed a laboratory task in which electric shocks were received from, and administered to, a fictitious opponent under the guise of a competitive reaction-time task while they were exposed to either violence-promoting (n =8) or violence-inhibiting (n =8) cues. Aggression was operationalized as the intensity and duration of shocks administered by the participant to his “opponent.” Despite being equally intoxicated, participants exposed to violence-inhibiting cues were dramatically less aggressive (d =1.65) than those exposed to the violence-promoting cues. Our data suggest that the AMM holds a great deal of promise to help develop effective prevention interventions for alcohol-related violence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aggressive behavior is a highly complex construct that is very challenging to measure. While advancements in the assessment of aggression have been made, some fundamental problems persist. First, the operational definition of aggressive behavior and its various subtypes are frequently misinterpreted and lack sufficient conceptual clarity. Second, due to these definitional problems, assessment instruments frequently correspond to different conceptualizations of aggression. In the present review, we attempt to resolve these limitations by proposing a new taxonomic system of aggressive acts that (a) corresponds to a hybrid definition of aggressive behavior, and (b) increases conceptual clarity between subtypes of aggressive behavior. It is argued that this classification system will permit greater precision in the assessment of aggression and lead to the improvement of theories, diagnostic systems, and clinical interventions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a difficult temperament on alcohol-related aggression in men and women. Subjects were 330 (164 men and 166 women) healthy social drinkers between 21 and 35 years of age. Temperament was measured using the dimensions of temperament survey—revised (DOTS-R). Following the consumption of either an alcohol or a placebo beverage, subjects were tested on a modified version of the Taylor aggression paradigm in which mild electric shocks were received from, and administered to, a fictitious opponent during a competitive task. Aggressive behavior was operationalized as the shock intensities administered to the fictitious opponent under conditions of low and high provocation. Of all the variables, provocation was the strongest elicitor of aggression. Overall, a difficult temperament was positively related to the aggression for all subjects. The finding of greatest importance was that alcohol only increased aggression for men with a difficult temperament. The results highlight the fact that alcohol consumption does not increase aggression in all persons and in all situations. An important goal for future research is to identify which individual difference and which contextual factors are most important in determining who will, and who will not, behave in an aggressive manner when intoxicated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this study was to determine the manner in which constructive thinking (CT) and antisocial behavior (ASB) are related to drug use in 295, 15–17 year old, adolescent males with a positive (FHP; n=126) and a negative (FHN; n=169) family history of a substance use disorder (SUD). CT is considered to be a “nonintellective” cognitive skill that reflects the ability to effectively deal with problem situations through the use of different thinking styles and behavioral, social, and emotional coping strategies. CT and ASB were measured using self-report inventories in a laboratory setting. Three types of drug use were assessed: (a) number of drugs used, (b) drug use frequency, and (c) drug use problems. Results showed that the FHP group had significantly lower CT and significantly higher ASB and drug use scores compared with the FHN group. CT was significantly related to each type of drug use and these relations were all mediated by ASB. Moreover, the relation between CT and drug use frequency was moderated by ASB and the relations between ASB and each form of drug use were moderated by family history. Although few in number, this and other studies show that deficits in nonintellective forms of cognition such as CT are important liability factors for SUD that require further investigation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tests the hypothesis that low resting salivary cortisol concentration in preadolescent boys would be associated with aggressive behavior later in adolescence and whether personality traits would mediate the relation. Absence of an association between cortisol and negative emotionality or any of its factors; Association between low cortisol and low harm avoidance, low self-control, and more aggressive behavior later on.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of irritability on alcohol-related aggression in men and women. Subjects were 204 (111 men and 93 women) healthy social drinkers between 21 and 35 years of age. Irritability was measured using the Caprara Irritability Scale. Following the consumption of either an alcohol or a placebo beverage, subjects were tested on a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm in which mild electric shocks were received from, and administered to, a fictitious opponent during a competitive task. Aggressive behavior was operationalized as the shock intensities administered to the fictitious opponent under conditions of low and high provocation. Of all the variables, provocation was the strongest elicitor of aggression. Overall, irritability was positively related to aggression for all subjects. The finding of greatest importance was that alcohol increased aggression for persons with higher, as opposed to lower, levels of irritability. However, this pattern of results was only evident for men. The results highlight the fact that alcohol consumption does not increase aggression in all persons and in all situations. An important goal for future research is to identify which individual differences and which contextual factors are most important in determining who will, and who will not, behave in an aggressive manner when intoxicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This investigation examined mediators of the longitudinal relation between negative affectivity and the development of problematic drinking behavior in adolescent boys and girls. In the present study, 499 early adolescents completed inventories of negative affectivity, attitudes toward delinquency, personal delinquency, and affiliation with delinquent peers. Positive attitudes toward delinquency emerged as the most consistent mediator and strongly predicted drinking frequency in various situations. Compared with personal delinquency, both attitudes toward delinquency and peer delinquency were superior predictors of affect-related drinking. Our results also demonstrated that positive attitudes toward delinquency mediated the relation between negative affectivity and later development of an alcohol use disorder. These findings suggest that a proneness to unpleasant affect impacts adolescent drinking by heightening risk for general rejection of normative behavior, rather than by increasing drinking as a means of managing affect. The importance and implications of testing delinquency variables together in the same model are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

High negative affectivity has been frequently associated with adolescent substance use; presumably as the individual relies upon alcohol or other drug use to disrupt negative emotional states. Worry has been posited to serve a similar function, acting as a repetitive verbal–linguistic coping activity that disrupts unpleasant emotional processing. This study tested the hypothesis that worry might displace affect-related substance use as a maladaptive means of dealing with high negative affectivity. Two hundred fifty-seven adolescent male participants, along with their parents and teachers, completed measures of participants’ negative affectivity, worry, fearfulness, and substance use at two time points separated by approximately 4 years. Results supported the stated hypothesis; while low worriers were characterized by a significant positive relation between negative affectivity and affect-related substance use, no such relation was observed in high worriers. Although worry and fearfulness were moderately related, neither was directly related to substance use, suggesting that worry does not simply represent a fearful inhibition to use drugs. These findings suggest that worrying may take the place of substance use as a means of coping with unpleasant feelings in some adolescents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Neuropsychological studies of psychopathy have yielded inconsistent findings with respect to executive functions (EF). This may be due to heterogeneity of psychopathy, with some studies using performance-based tests showing a stronger association between EF and Antisocial-Impulsivity (AI) than Fearless-Dominance (FD) traits. Variability in findings may also be due to limited ecological validity of performance-based tests of EF. In this present study, we evaluated the relationship between AI and FD psychopathy traits and subjective ratings of EF in everyday life. Participants were 524 healthy adults who completed the Psychopathic Personality Inventory and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Adult (BRIEF-A). Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted accounting for demographic characteristics and mood. Results revealed that more severe AI and FD were both associated with worse inhibitory control. More severe AI was also related to difficulty monitoring the effect of one's behavior on others and keeping organized. More severe FD was related to better emotional control and cognitive flexibility. These findings indicate that psychopathy traits are associated with subjective ratings of EF in everyday life. Although FD and AI showed some differences with respect to their association with EF, impulsivity appears to be a more general feature of psychopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]