Performance Attributions and Changes in Self-Esteem Following Self-Handicapping with Alcohol Consumption

Abstract

This experiment investigated the attribution and self-esteem effects predicted by the self-handicapping hypothesis as applied to alcohol consumption. Eighty male normal drinkers first performed an unsolvable intellectual task and received non-contingent success feedback. Three independent variables were then manipulated in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design: (1) beverage administration (given alcohol or given nonalcohol), (2) instructions regarding beverage content (told alcohol or told nonalcohol), and (3) performance feedback on an unsolvable retest administered after the beverage manipulations (success or failure). Consistent with the self-handicapping hypothesis, told-alcohol subjects who received failure feedback attributed their retest performances more to beverage (i.e., alcohol) consumption and less to general ability than did the other experimental groups. Told-alcohol subjects also reported higher self-esteem than did told-nonalcohol subjects, and failure-feedback subjects made greater beverage and lo...