Attention Allocation Model

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“Alcohol and Aggression A Test of the Attention-Allocation Model”- Study 1 In this study, the researchers were looking for the relationship between intake of alcohol and aggression, and if the addition of a distraction could alleviate some of the aggression. The basis for the study was the “Attention-Allocation Model”. 2. The researches hypothesized that compared to the placebo group, the group that ingests alcohol will increase in aggression if they are not distracted from the provocative stimulus and will suppress aggression when distracted away from the stimulus. A distraction should then, reduce an individual’s aggression by averting the individual’s attention from the provocative stimulus. 3. The subjects used in this study were 48 healthy…show more content…
Subjects could receive an electric shock and could administer a shock as per reward on a competition. The intensity of the shock administered was to the subject’s discretion. Aggression was measured by the intensity and duration of the shock selected by the subject. Subjects in the alcohol group were administered a dose of 1g/kg of 100% alcohol mixed at a 1:5 ratio with Tropicana orange juice. For the placebo group, an isovolemic beverage consisting of only orange juice was served. However, four cc of alcohol were added to each placebo beverage, and 4 cc were layered onto the juice in each glass. Immediately before the placebo beverages were served, the rims of the glasses were sprayed with alcohol. While performing the TAP, subjects in the distraction group were simultaneously engaged in a computerized task that taxed working memory resources. The subjects had to remember a sequence of figures that would appear on the…show more content…
The results showed that a moderate distractor was effective in suppressing aggression in the alcohol groups below the levels exhibited in the placebo groups. Aggression in the placebo groups resulted in an intermediate between the aggression in the two alcohol groups. However, the placebo group did not differ significantly in the presence or absence of a distractor. This result for the placebo groups is explained by the fact that the placebo beverage should not have impaired attentional capacity (therefore creating aggression in a similar fashion). 7. The researchers believe that alcohol seems to work in the disruption of working memory. They believe that adding non-provocative inhibitory cues towards the working memory can reduce the levels of aggression by allowing behavioral output to be influenced by the non-provocative cues. In other words the researchers believe that adding non-provocative cues takes up space in the working memory, effectively limiting the amount of space for processing hostile

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