MODELING AS A DETERMINANT OF ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION - EFFECT OF SUBJECT SEX AND PRIOR DRINKING HISTORY

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of modeling as a determinant of alcohol consumption by both male and female subjects who were classified as either light or heavy social drinkers. College student subjects (N = 64) were assigned to eight groups in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design. Male and female subjects, half of whom were classified as light drinkers and half heavy drinkers, were exposed either to a light drinking or heavy drinking model of the same sex during the course of a wine-tasting task. The taste-rating task served as an unobtrusive measure of alcohol consumption. The modeling factor was a significant determinant of drinking in this task: subjects exposed to the heavy drinking model drank more than subjects who observed the light drinking model. While all subjects drank a minimal amount in the light drinking model condition, an interaction effect was obtained in the heavy drinking model condition: heavy social drinkers, particularly the male subjects, drank significantly more wine in the presence of the heavy drinking model than did the light social drinkers. The results were discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the social determinants of drinking behavior in young adults. © 1979.