Error detection but not behavioural inhibition intact in young heavy drinkers
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1
University of New South Wales, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Australia
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2
University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Australia
Aims: Increases in inhibitory errors in heavy drinkers are established; less well-studied is whether heavy drinkers are aware of these errors in performance. Reductions in error detection and awareness limit the possibility for remedial action to be taken, and have implications for substance abusers seeking to control use: failure to monitor and/or adjust ongoing behaviour may be linked to using more or more often than intended, and failing to adjust behaviour after a slip. Here we test both inhibitory control and error awareness in young heavy drinkers, using behavioural and psychophysiological measures.
Methods: Heavy drinkers (n = 25) and light- or non-drinking controls (n = 35) completed a difficult inhibitory task which required signalling the awareness of inhibitory errors on the subsequent trial, while brain electrical activity was recorded.
Results: Heavy drinkers made more inhibitory errors than controls, but were as aware of these errors, both via overt signalling and with equivalent amplitude of the error positivity (Pe), indexing conscious error detection. Similarly, controls and heavy drinkers showed no difference in amplitude or latency of the error-related negativity (ERN), indexing early pre-conscious error detection.
Conclusion: This research suggests intact detection of errors in heavy drinkers, even as they are more prone to make these errors, a result seen in dependent drinkers reported elsewhere. Future research with larger sample sizes, and a more difficult task producing sufficient errors, should determine whether heavy drinkers employ sufficient post-error remedial action.
Keywords:
response inhibition,
error processing,
Performance monitoring,
alcohol,
cognitive control
Conference:
ASP2016 - The 26th Annual Meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Adelaide Australia, Adelaide,SA, Australia, 12 Dec - 14 Dec, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
Abstract (general)
Citation:
Smith
JL,
Mattick
RP and
Sufani
C
(2016). Error detection but not behavioural inhibition intact in young heavy drinkers.
Conference Abstract:
ASP2016 - The 26th Annual Meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Adelaide Australia.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2016.221.00030
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Received:
19 Sep 2016;
Published Online:
05 Dec 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Janette L Smith, University of New South Wales, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia, janette.smith@unsw.edu.au