Expectancy Challenge and Drinking Reduction: Experimental Evidence for a Mediational Process
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1993
Keywords
alcohol expectancy challenge, drinking reduction, moderately to heavily drinking male college students
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.61.2.344
Abstract
Substantial correlational evidence supports a causal (mediational) interpretation of alcohol expectancy operation, but definitive support requires a true experimental test. Thus, moderately to heavily drinking male college students were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions in a pre–post design: expectancy challenge (designed to manipulate expectancy levels), "traditional" information, and assessment-only control. Expectancy challenge produced significant drinking decreases, compared with the other 2 groups. Decreases in measured expectancies paralleled drinking decreases in the challenge condition. Significant increases in alcohol knowledge in the traditional program were not associated with decreased drinking. These experimental findings support a causal (mediational) interpretation of expectancy operation. The implications for a cognitive (memory) model of expectancies and for prevention and intervention programs for problem drinking and alcoholism are discussed.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, v. 61, issue 2, p. 344-353
Scholar Commons Citation
Darkes, Jack and Goldman, Mark S., "Expectancy Challenge and Drinking Reduction: Experimental Evidence for a Mediational Process" (1993). Psychology Faculty Publications. 1377.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/psy_facpub/1377
