Digital Commons Network^™

Drinking Game Participation Among College Students: Gender And Ethnic Implications, Eric R. Pedersen, Joseph W. Labrie

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Participation in drinking games by college students has recently sparked research attention. While previous research indicates that women play drinking games at lower frequencies than men, the current study reveals that college women may be playing games at rates similar to college men. In a sample of 105 coed college students, participants completed a 3-month Timeline Followback recording every drinking event and quantity consumed. They then were prompted to identify which drinking events involved drinking games and how much alcohol was consumed during game playing. Both men and women engaged in drinking games at similar rates and consumed more drinks …

Neuroscience Workshops For Fifth-Grade School Children By Undergraduate Students: A University–School Partnership, Judith G. Foy, Marissa Feldman, Edward Lin, Margaret Mahoney, Chelsea Sjoblom

Psychological Science Faculty Works

The National Science Education Standards recommend that science be taught using inquiry-based approaches. Inspired by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, we examined whether undergraduate students could learn how to conduct field research by teaching elementary school children basic neuroscience concepts in interactive workshops. In an inquiry-based learning experience of their own, undergraduate psychology students working under the close supervision of their instructor designed and provided free, interactive, hour-long workshops focusing on brain structure and function, brain damage and disorders, perception and illusions, and drugs and hormones to fifth-graders from diverse backgrounds, and we assessed the effectiveness of the workshops …

Risky Decision Making Assessed With The Gambling Task In Adults With Hiv, David J. Hardy, Charles H. Hinkin, Steven A. Castellon, Andrew J. Levine, Mona N. Lam

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Decision making was assessed using a laboratory gambling task in 67 adults with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV+) and in 19 HIV-seronegative (HIV−) control participants. Neurocognitive test performance across several domains was also analyzed to examine potential cognitive mechanisms of gambling task performance. As predicted, the HIV+ group performed worse on the gambling task, indicating greater risky decision making. Specifically, the HIV+ group selected more cards from the “risky” or disadvantageous deck that included relatively large payoffs but infrequent large penalties. The control group also selected such risky cards but quickly learned to avoid them. Exploratory analyses also indicated that …

A Within-Subjects Validation Of A Group-Administered Timeline Followback For Alcohol Use, Eric R. Pedersen, Joseph W. Labrie

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Objective

The current study uses a within-subjects randomized design with the Timeline Followback (TLFB) method administered in groups or to individuals to determine the equivalence of these methods.

Method

One hundred and four male and female college students who reported drinking at least once in the past 3 months completed the TLFB during a one-on-one interview, as well as in a group setting days apart. The two administrations were counterbalanced among the participants. Drinking variables assessed were drinking days, average drinks, total drinks, and maximum drinks consumed both during a 3-month (90 days) and a 1-month (30 days) period.

Results …

Comparing Electronic-Keypad Responses To Paper-And-Pencil Questionnaires In Group Assessments Of Alcohol Consumption And Related Attitudes, Joseph W. Labrie, Mitch Earleywine, Toby Lamb, Kristin Shelesky

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Electronic versions of questionnaires have the potential to improve research and interventions in the addictions. Administering questionnaires electronically to groups, however, has proven difficult without a multitude of computers, but gathering data electronically from a group could make for easy assessment and quick feedback. Using a sample of 107 college students, we examined the validity of wireless keypad survey responses by comparing them to traditional paper-and-pencil questionnaires. The two formats led to almost identical responses that did not differ significantly from each other (all effect sizes less than g =.15) and high correlations between formats. The wireless, handheld keypad procedure …

Reducing Heavy Drinking In College Males With The Decisional Balance: Analyzing An Element Of Motivational Interviewing, Joseph W. Labrie, Eric R. Pedersen, Mitch Earleywine, Hutson Olsen

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The decisional balance, a brief detailing of the advantages and disadvantages of behavior change, serves as a key component to interventions in Motivational Interviewing. The impact of this component alone is not well understood. Forty-seven men completed a Timeline Followback interview assessing alcohol consumption and unsafe sexual practices. They then completed a decisional balance, listing the Pros and Cons of decreasing their drinking, but not one for safer sex. One-month follow-up data showed that they had statistically significant and clinically meaningful increases in their motivation to alter drinking and decreases in the number of drinks that they intended to drink, …