| Abstract: | The present study examined the influence of social setting cues and alcohol drinking cues on the drinking rate and amount of beer consumed by social drinkers (college age males). The design consisted of three experimental conditions (N = 8); a social drinking condition in which the individual drank beer in the company of a beer drinking partner, a social setting condition in which the individual drank with a nondrinking partner, and a solitary setting, control condition. Analyses of variance revealed a significant group effect for amount of alcohol consumed, P <.05, and for sip rate, P <.05, suggesting that social setting cues were discriminate for higher rates and larger amounts of alcohol consumption by social drinkers. These findings are inconsistent with the negative findings reported by Foy & Simon (1978) in their comparison of drinking behavior of alcoholics in social vs. solitary settings. Further research is recommended in order to replicate the obtained findings with alcoholics, as well as with social drinkers, while extending the drinking interval beyond 50 minutes. |
