This proposal is a revision of a previously reviewed Scientist Development Award (SDA). The SDA is requested to allow the P.I. to develop an independent program of research on the social cognitive aspects of alcohol-related aggression. As violence is an increasing societal problem and alcohol has been found to be involved in over 50% of all violent incidents, understanding how alcohol affects the decision making processes involved in aggressive behavior is extremely important.
The specific aims of this research proposal are: 1) to examine whether alcohol expectancies regarding aggression can be conceptualized as cognitive-associative networks in memory, and 2) to examine the interactive effects of alcohol intoxication and alcohol expectancy on the activation of aggressive cognitions. Two studies will be conducted during the award period. The two proposed studies examine the impact of alcohol on the first stage of information processing involved in aggressive behavior: the activation of aggressive thoughts. The first study is designed to examine if alcohol expectancies relating to aggression can be conceptualized as cognitive-associative networks and to assess the validity of three laboratory procedures for examining this question. The three procedures to be assessed are a word similarity rating procedure, a word appropriateness rating procedure, and a modified Stroop task. Findings from the first study will be used to inform design of the second study. In the second study, the impact of intoxication and alcohol expectancy on the activation of aggressive cognitions will be examined. It is hypothesized that intoxication, the expectancy that alcohol increases aggression, and the presence of an aggressive cue are required for the activation of aggressive cognitions. The SDA will allow the researcher to develop a research program which will lead to future investigations of intoxicated aggression and to engage in career development activities that will advance his knowledge of social cognition and alcohol research through consultation with experts in these fields. It also will provide supervised training in laboratory alcohol administration procedures. The training and research will be conducted at the Research Institute on Addictions, an environment which has a strong history of supporting the development of young researchers.
