Effects of alcohol on aggression in male social drinkers.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of alcohol on aggressive behavior in male social drinkers. Ninety-six subjects were randomly assigned to one of eight groups in a 2X2X2 factorial design. To fully control for expectation effects, half of the subjects were led .to believe that they would be drinking alcohol (vodka and tonic), and half believed they would be drinking only tonic water. Within each of these two groups, half of the subjects actually received alcohol, but half were given only tonic. Following the beverage administration, half of the subjects were provoked to aggress by exposing them to an insulting confederate, whereas control subjects experienced a neutral interaction. Aggression was assessed by the intensity and duration of shocks administered to the confederate on a modified Buss aggression apparatus. The only significant determinant of aggression was the expectation factor: Subjects who believed they had consumed alcohol were more aggressive than subjects who believed they had consumed a nonalcoholic beverage, regardless of the actual alcohol content of the drinks administered. Subjects receiving alcohol, however, showed a significant increase in a reaction time measure, regardless of the expectation condition. Provocation to aggress was also a significant determinant of aggression, but it did not interact with the beverage conditions.