Working memory as a moderator of impulsivity and alcohol involvement: testing the cognitive-motivational theory of alcohol use with prospective and working memory updating data

Jarrod M Ellingson; Kimberly A Fleming; Alvaro Vergés; Bruce D Bartholow; Kenneth J Sher

doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.01.004

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Working memory as a moderator of impulsivity and alcohol involvement: testing the cognitive-motivational theory of alcohol use with prospective and working memory updating data

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Working memory as a moderator of impulsivity and alcohol involvement: testing the cognitive-motivational theory of alcohol use with prospective and working memory updating data

Jarrod M Ellingson, Kimberly A Fleming, Alvaro Vergés, Bruce D Bartholow and Kenneth J Sher

Addictive behaviors, Vol.39(11), pp.1622-1631

11/01/2014

DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.01.004

PMCID: PMC4108580

PMID: 24508184

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Abstract

Research consistently shows that individuals high in impulsivity are at increased risk for excessive alcohol use and alcohol-related problems including alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Recent theorizing posits that working memory (WM) ability might moderate this association, but extant studies have suffered from methodological shortcomings, particularly mischaracterizing WM as a single, unitary construct and using only cross-sectional designs. This paper reports two studies that attempted to replicate and extend previous investigations of the relationship between WM, impulsivity, and alcohol involvement using two independent samples. Study 1 used a large (N=489 at baseline), prospective cohort of college students at high and low risk for AUD to investigate interactions between WM capacity and impulsivity on cross-sectional and prospective alcohol involvement. Study 2 used a large (N=420), cross-sectional sample of participants in an alcohol challenge study to investigate similar interactions between WM updating and impulsivity on recent alcohol involvement. Whereas Study 1 found that WM capacity moderates the relationship between some measures of impulsivity and alcohol involvement, with effects prospectively predicting alcohol involvement for up to three years, Study 2 did not find similar moderation effects when using measures of WM updating. These findings highlight the multifaceted nature of WM, which is often overlooked in the alcohol and impulsivity literature.

Adolescent

Adult

Alcohol Drinking - psychology

Cognition - drug effects

Cross-Sectional Studies

Female

Humans

Impulsive Behavior - drug effects

Male

Memory, Short-Term - drug effects

Motivation - drug effects

Prospective Studies

Young Adult

Details

Title: Subtitle: Working memory as a moderator of impulsivity and alcohol involvement: testing the cognitive-motivational theory of alcohol use with prospective and working memory updating data
Creators: Jarrod M Ellingson - University of Missouri
Kimberly A Fleming - University of Missouri
Alvaro Vergés - University of Missouri
Bruce D Bartholow - University of Missouri
Kenneth J Sher - University of Missouri
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Addictive behaviors, Vol.39(11), pp.1622-1631
DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.01.004
PMID: 24508184
PMCID: PMC4108580
NLM abbreviation: Addict Behav
ISSN: 0306-4603
eISSN: 1873-6327
Grant note: R01 AA013987 / NIAAA NIH HHS T32 AA013526 / NIAAA NIH HHS F31 AA022551 / NIAAA NIH HHS R37 AA07231 / NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA13987 / NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA007231 / NIAAA NIH HHS K05 AA017242 / NIAAA NIH HHS F31 AA022294 / NIAAA NIH HHS T32 AA13526 / NIAAA NIH HHS P60 AA011998 / NIAAA NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 11/01/2014
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984446262102771

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