Activating Action Tendencies: The Influence of Action Priming on Alcohol Consumption Among Male Hazardous Drinkers

Abstract

Despite the importance of action components in information processing models of substance-use motivation, there has been relatively little research that has specifically examined the effects of behavioral cues on motivation to use alcohol. The current study examined the effects of action priming on alcohol-use motivation. One hundred and eighty-eight hazardous drinkers completed a cue-exposure procedure followed by a beer-tasting task. Participants were exposed to their preferred alcohol beverage while they either lifted the beverage (action prime) or leaned toward the beverage (control). Following alcohol-cue exposure, participants completed a taste-test procedure in which they sampled three glasses of beer. Urges to drink following cue exposure and volume of beer consumed during the taste test were the primary dependent variables. Ratings of urge to drink increased in both prime conditions following alcohol-cue exposure and predicted the amount of beer consumed. The priming conditions did not differentially influence urge; however, there was a significant Prime x Gender interaction for volume of beer consumed. Men in the action-prime condition consumed more alcohol in the subsequent taste-test procedure than men who were in the control condition. These results suggest that behavioral sequences associated with drinking may prime alcohol-related motivational states among hazardous-drinking men. Moreover, these action primes may affect subsequent alcohol use independent of changes in subjective indices of alcohol-related motivation. Implications for understanding the distinct effects of alcohol-related cues on controlled and automatic processes underlying alcohol use are discussed.