Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

Publications in this journal

• Article: Daily Mood-drinking Slopes as Predictors: A New Take on Drinking Motives and Related Outcomes.

  Cynthia D Mohr, Debi Brannan, Staci Wendt, Laurie Jacobs, Robert Wright, Mo Wang
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  ABSTRACT: Motivational models of alcohol consumption have articulated the manner in which positive and negative experiences motivate drinking in unique social contexts (e.g., M. L. Cooper, M. R. Frone, M. Russell & P. Mudar, 1995, Drinking to regulate positive and negative emotions: A motivational model of alcohol use, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 69, pp. 990-1005). Daily process methodology, in which daily events, moods, and drinking behaviors are reported daily or multiple times per day, has been used to examine behavioral patterns that are consistent with discrete motivations. We advance the notion that repeated patterns of drinking in various social contexts as a function of positive or negative mood increases can provide evidence of individual-level if-then drinking signatures, which in turn can predict drinking-related outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of slopes to predict longer term drinking motivations and alcohol problems by employing a daily-process study of nonclinical moderate alcohol drinkers (N = 47 Participants (49 originally consented, but the palm malfunctioned and we were unable to recover daily data); 23 Females; 19 married/cohabiting, 22 never married, 6 divorced/widowed; 42 white, 1 African American, 2 Multiracial, 2 Other, + 2 non-whites identified as Hispanic/Latino). Participants responded to thrice daily interviews administered via handheld computer for 30 days, followed by a longitudinal telephone survey for 12 months. Participants' daily mood-drinking relationships were extracted from hierarchical linear modeling and employed as predictors of 12-month outcomes in multiple regression analyses. Daily mood-drinking patterns demonstrated significant variability across persons, such that moderate drinkers could be reliably differentiated based on those patterns in terms of distinct drinking-related outcomes. Among the results, negative-mood-solitary-drinking slopes were associated with lower subsequent coping motives but positive-mood-solitary-drinking slopes were predictive of higher coping and lower social motives. Conversely, positive-mood-social-drinking associations were predictive of higher enhancement motives and brief Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test scores. Results are interpreted in light of motivational models of consumption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 05/2013;
• Article: Breaking the Cycle of Desire: Mindfulness and Executive Control Weaken the Relation Between an Implicit Measure of Alcohol Valence and Preoccupation With Alcohol-Related Thoughts.

  Brian D Ostafin, Kyle T Kassman, Ineke Wessel
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  ABSTRACT: Stimuli with strong affective valence capture attention. This can impede the self-regulation of impulses. That is, preoccupation with a tempting stimulus such as alcohol may lead to a continued activation of automatic affective responses to that stimulus, increasing the likelihood of approach and consumption. Self-regulation may, thus, benefit from variables that weaken the relation between salient stimuli and cognitive preoccupation with those stimuli. Recent research shows that mindfulness and executive control reduce the link between automatic affective responses to alcohol and alcohol consumption. In this study, the authors examined whether mindfulness and executive control may similarly decouple the relation between automatic affective responses and difficulty in disengaging attention from alcohol-related thoughts. Participants completed measures of trait mindfulness, executive control (a working memory task), automatic alcohol-valence associations, and preoccupation with alcohol-related thoughts. Results showed that (a) both trait mindfulness and executive control are inversely related with alcohol preoccupation, and (b) both mindfulness and executive control weaken a positive relation between automatic alcohol-valence associations and alcohol preoccupation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 05/2013;
• Article: Daily Use of Protective Behavioral Strategies and Alcohol-Related Outcomes Among College Students.

  Matthew R Pearson, Gabrielle M D'Lima, Michelle L Kelley
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  ABSTRACT: The purpose of the present study was to examine associations between use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) and alcohol-related outcomes (alcohol consumption, negative alcohol consequences, and positive alcohol consequences) using a daily diary approach. This approach is less affected by retrospective memory biases than typical self-reports of alcohol-related variables and allows the examination of both between-subjects and within-person effects. Using hierarchical linear modeling of data from 40 subjects who completed daily dairies for up to 15 days, we found significant within-person variation in PBS use over time, and each type of PBS had unique relationships with alcohol-related outcomes. For example, within-person variation in Serious Harm Reduction, one form of PBS, predicted increased daily alcohol use, negative consequences, and positive consequences. Our findings suggest the importance of intensive longitudinal methods to examine both between-subjects and within-subjects effects of PBS use and alcohol-related outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 05/2013;
• Article: Externalizing Behavior Problems Among Polydrug Cocaine-Exposed Children: Indirect Pathways via Maternal Harshness and Self-Regulation in Early Childhood.

  Rina D Eiden, Claire D Coles, Pamela Schuetze, Craig R Colder
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  ABSTRACT: This study examined direct and indirect associations between prenatal cocaine exposure (CE) and children's externalizing problems in kindergarten via higher maternal harshness and lower self-regulation in early childhood. Other environmental risk variables, such as child exposure to community violence and experience of hunger, were used as additional predictors. The sample consisted of 216 mother-infant dyads recruited at delivery from local area hospitals (116 cocaine-exposed, 100 nonexposed). Maternal harshness was coded from observations of mother-toddler interactions at 2 years of age, and children's self-regulation was measured at 3 years of age using several laboratory paradigms. Maternal reports of externalizing behavior problems were obtained at both time points and at kindergarten. Teacher reports were obtained and classroom observations of externalizing behaviors were conducted in the kindergarten classroom. Results indicated significant indirect associations between CE and maternal reports of externalizing problems via higher maternal harshness at 2 years and higher externalizing problems at 3 years of child age. A second indirect path from CE to externalizing problems in the school setting via higher maternal harshness at 2 years and lower self-regulation at 3 years was also significant. There were significant associations between community violence exposure and maternal reports of externalizing problems, and between hunger and externalizing problems in the school setting. Results highlight the role of parenting and self-regulation in early childhood as critical process variables in the indirect association between CE and externalizing behavior problems in kindergarten. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 05/2013;
• Article: Identifying Indicators of Harmful and Problem Gambling in a Canadian Sample Through Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis.

  Lena C Quilty, Daniela Avila Murati, R Michael Bagby
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  ABSTRACT: Many gamblers would prefer to reduce gambling on their own rather than to adopt an abstinence approach within the context of a gambling treatment program. Yet responsible gambling guidelines lack quantifiable markers to guide gamblers in wagering safely. To address these issues, the current investigation implemented receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to identify behavioral indicators of harmful and problem gambling. Gambling involvement was assessed in 503 participants (275 psychiatric outpatients and 228 community gamblers) with the Canadian Problem Gambling Index. Overall gambling frequency, duration, and expenditure were able to distinguish harmful and problematic gambling at a moderate level. Indicators of harmful gambling were generated for engagement in specific gambling activities: frequency of tickets and casino; duration of bingo, casino, and investments; and expenditures on bingo, casino, sports betting, games of skill, and investments. Indicators of problem gambling were similarly produced for frequency of tickets and casino, and expenditures on bingo, casino, games of skill, and investments. Logistic regression analyses revealed that overall gambling frequency uniquely predicted the presence of harmful and problem gambling. Furthermore, frequency indicators for tickets and casino uniquely predicted the presence of both harmful and problem gambling. Together, these findings contribute to the development of an empirically based method enabling the minimization of harmful or problem gambling through self-control rather than abstinence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 05/2013;
• Article: Alcohol-Related Memory Associations in Positive and Negative Affect Situations: Drinking Motives, Working Memory Capacity, and Prospective Drinking.

  Elske Salemink, Reinout W Wiers
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  ABSTRACT: Although studies on explicit alcohol cognitions have identified positive and negative reinforcing drinking motives that are differentially related to drinking indices, such a distinction has received less attention in studies on implicit cognitions. An alcohol-related Word-Sentence Association Task was used to assess implicit alcohol-related memory associations in positive and negative affect situations in 92 participants. Results revealed that enhancement motives were specifically associated with the endorsement of alcohol words in positive affect situations and coping motives were associated with the endorsement of alcohol words in negative affect situations. Furthermore, alcohol associations in positive affect situations predicted prospective alcohol use and number of binges, depending on levels of working memory capacity. The current findings shed more light on the underpinnings of alcohol use and suggest that implicit memory processes and working memory capacity might be important targets for intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 05/2013;
• Article: Perceptions of Relative Risk of Disease and Addiction From Cigarettes and Snus.

  Ingeborg Lund, Janne Scheffels
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  ABSTRACT: The public is largely unaware of the lower global risk associated with snus compared with that of cigarettes, but little is known of perceptions of relative risks for specific diseases. Inveterate, daily, and nondaily smokers' perceptions of the relative snus/cigarette risk of cardiovascular disease, and of cancer of the lung, stomach, and oral cavity, and perceptions among smokers, snus users, and dual users of the relative risk of nicotine addiction, was studied in a pooled sample from annual national surveys (2008-2011) performed by Statistics Norway. The total sample included 2,661 ever smokers and snus users aged 15-79 years old. Fifty-three percent were men, and the average age was 46.1 year. Compared with medical consensus, all smoker groups overestimated the relative risks of diseases from snus use, and inveterate smokers overestimated them significantly more than other groups. For all diseases except lung cancer, the majority of smokers thought snus users were running a higher or equal risk. For lung cancer, 22% believed that snus use gave a higher or equal risk. Smokers, snus users, and dual users tended to think that snus and cigarettes were equally addictive products, while a somewhat higher proportion of those who had quit both products thought that cigarettes were more addictive. Increased knowledge of the relative health risks might give smokers an incitement to switch to snus and prompt current dual users to stop smoking completely. Awareness could be improved by tailoring information at targeted groups, for example via the health care system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 05/2013;
• Article: Engaging in Job-Related Activities Is Associated With Reductions in Employment Problems and Improvements in Quality of Life in Substance Abusing Patients.

  Nancy M Petry, Leonardo F Andrade, Carla J Rash, Martin G Cherniack
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  ABSTRACT: Reinforcement-based interventions are highly efficacious in the treatment of substance use disorders, and their benefits can extend to other areas of functioning as well. In particular, reinforcing participation in job-related activities may be useful for improving employment outcomes, which in turn may enhance quality of life and decrease substance use. These secondary analyses compared substance abusing patients randomized with reinforcement interventions (N = 185) who selected and completed two or more job-related activities during treatment versus those who did not. Patients who completed two or more job-related activities during treatment had significantly greater reductions in employment-related problems and improvements in quality of life than those who completed only one or no job-related activities, even after controlling for baseline differences that may impact employment outcomes. Further, patients who completed employment activities remained in treatment significantly longer and achieved greater durations of abstinence than those who did not. These data suggest that reinforcing job-attainment activities may have broad beneficial effects. Reinforcement interventions should be considered for enhancing employment skills training acquisition more generally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: An Exploratory Pilot Study of the Relationship Between Neural Correlates of Cognitive Control and Reduction in Cigarette Use Among Treatment-Seeking Adolescent Smokers.

  Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, Iris M Balodis, Hedy Kober, Patrick D Worhunsky, Thomas Liss, Jiansong Xu, Marc N Potenza
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  ABSTRACT: Despite high rates of tobacco use during adolescence, few empirically validated smoking cessation strategies exist for adolescent smokers. Developing an understanding of the neural underpinnings of cognitive control processes in adolescent smokers, and their relationship to quit behaviors, may help advance the development of enhanced behavioral and pharmacological therapies. The current pilot study explored the relationship between brain responses during performance of the Stroop color-word interference task and reduction in tobacco use (as measured by changes in cotinine levels) in treatment-seeking adolescent smokers participating in a high school-based smoking-cessation program. Eleven adolescent daily smokers participated in a prequit session during which neural activity in response to congruent and incongruent events in a Stroop task was examined using functional MRI (fMRI). Changes in urine cotinine levels from prequit baseline to end of treatment were calculated and correlated with brain activity. Adolescents with greater activation in the inferior frontal gyrus, insula, thalamus, and anterior cingulate had greater reductions in cotinine levels. The preliminary observation of a relationship between treatment outcome and neural correlates of cognitive control prior to treatment onset provides insight into individual differences in adolescent brain function that might relate importantly to treatment outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: Neurobiological Considerations in Understanding Behavioral Treatments for Pathological Gambling.

  Marc N Potenza, Iris M Balodis, Christine A Franco, Scott Bullock, Jiansong Xu, Tammy Chung, Jon E Grant
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  ABSTRACT: Pathological gambling (PG), a disorder currently categorized as an impulse-control disorder but being considered as a nonsubstance addiction in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) discussions, represents a significant public health concern. Over the past decade, considerable advances have been made with respect to understanding the biological underpinnings of PG. Research has also demonstrated the efficacies of multiple treatments, particularly behavioral therapies, for treating PG. Despite these advances, relatively little is known regarding how biological measures, particularly those assessing brain function, relate to treatments for PG. In this article, we present a conceptual review focusing on the neurobiology of behavioral therapies for PG. To illustrate issues related to study design, we present proof-of-concept preliminary data that link Stroop-related brain activations prior to treatment onset to treatment outcome in individuals with PG receiving a cognitive-behavioral treatment incorporating aspects of imaginal desensitization and motivational interviewing. We conclude with recommendations about current and future directions regarding how to incorporate and translate biological findings into improved therapies for individuals with nonsubstance and substance addictions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: The Motive to Drink Due to Social Anxiety and Its Relation to Hazardous Alcohol Use.

  Barbara Cludius, Stephan Stevens, Trisha Bantin, Alexander L Gerlach, Christiane Hermann
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  ABSTRACT: Although studies on social anxiety and alcohol-related problems are numerous, the exact nature of the relationship remains unclear. In the present study, we investigate how the motive to drink due to social anxiety is associated with hazardous alcohol use over and above habitual alcohol use, social anxiety, and alcohol outcome expectancies. We also examine which factors define the motive to drink due to social anxiety and clarify the impact of the type of social situation. Drinking due to social anxiety, habitual alcohol use, and gender, but not social anxiety, were associated with hazardous alcohol use. Social anxiety increased the motive to drink due to social anxiety, but fear of cognitive performance deficits after drinking reduced it. Alcohol was used to reduce anxiety more frequently in situations where intake of alcohol is deemed socially acceptable. These findings suggest that the motive drinking due to social anxiety, not social anxiety per se, is related to hazardous alcohol use. The motive is weakened by the expectation of alcohol-induced cognitive deficits, as well as by the type of social situation in which alcohol is to be used. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: Psychometric Properties of the Important People Instrument With College Student Drinkers.

  Kevin A Hallgren, Benjamin O Ladd, Brenna L Greenfield
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  ABSTRACT: Alcohol use in college students is associated with a number of negative consequences, and specific characteristics of college students' social networks have been linked to hazardous or harmful alcohol use. College represents a time when social networks are changing significantly, both in terms of composition and relative influence of network members. However, the reliability and validity of one of the most common measures for assessing alcohol-specific social support, the Important People Instrument (IPI; P. R. Clifford & R. Longabaugh, 1991, Manual for the administration of the Important People and Activities Instrument. Adapted for use by Project MATCH, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. Providence, RI: Brown University), have not been established in college student samples. The aim of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the IPI administered in computerized and paper-and-pencil formats within a non-treatment-seeking sample of college drinkers (N = 197). Test-retest reliability estimates for the overall sample indicated that all indices had acceptable reliability. While the models tested within a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) framework exhibited mediocre fit, a three-factor model appeared to offer the best fit overall. Consistent with previous findings with treatment-seeking samples, negative consequences of drinking were positively associated with network drinking behavior, but not network support for drinking or network general support. The IPI can provide reliable and valid information about network drinking behavior, network support for drinking, and general support among college students, although there is room for improvement in the measure. Future research may improve the measurement of alcohol-specific social support by measuring additional domains of the construct or by taking more contextualized approaches. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: Group Membership and Social Identity in Addiction Recovery.

  Sarah A Buckingham, Daniel Frings, Ian P Albery
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  ABSTRACT: Despite a growing interest in how group membership can positively impact health, little research has addressed directly the role social identity processes can have on recovery from addiction. Drawing on social identity theory and self-categorization theory, the present study investigated how recovery group membership can introduce a new social identity associated with recovery, compared to the social identity associated with addiction. We hypothesized that two processes-evaluative differentiation and identity preference-would be linked with higher self-efficacy and positive health outcomes (i.e., reduced relapse, lower levels of appetitive behavior, and elevated feelings of social connectedness [Study 2]). Study 1 recruited members (N = 61) from United Kingdom based mutual aid groups of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Study 2 recruited ex-smokers (N = 81) from online sources. In Study 1, evaluative differentiation was significantly related to lowered relapse and reduced appetitive behavior. Identity preference was related to higher levels of self-efficacy, which was related to months drug-free and reduced levels of appetitive behaviors. In Study 2, evaluative differentiation was related to identity preference. Identity preference was also related to higher self-efficacy, which in turn was related to lower relapse. Although exploratory, these results suggest that developing a social identity as a "recovering addict" or an "ex-smoker" and subsequently highlighting the difference between such identities may be a useful strategy for reducing relapse among people with problems associated with addictive behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: Factors Mediating the Association of the Recency of Parent's Marijuana Use and Their Adolescent Children's Subsequent Initiation.

  Stephen M Miller, Jason T Siegel, Zachary Hohman, William D Crano
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  ABSTRACT: This study was designed to determine whether the relation between parents' recency of (lifetime) marijuana use (RMU) and their adolescent children's subsequent marijuana initiation was mediated by the adolescents' expectancies regarding the consequences of usage, their anticipated severity of punishment for use, and their evaluative attitudes toward marijuana. Parents and their initially marijuana-abstinent adolescent children drawn from the National Survey of Parents and Youth were studied (N = 1,399). A bootstrapped multiple mediation analysis tested whether adolescents' expectations, anticipated punishment, and attitudes toward marijuana collected in the first year of the longitudinal study mediated the relationship between parents' RMU and their adolescent children's marijuana initiation 1 year later. Analysis revealed a statistically significant association between the parental measure and youths' subsequent initiation (p < .001). The three mediators were related significantly to parents' RMU and adolescents' usage. Individually, each variable mediated the association of the parental measure and that of their initially abstinent adolescents when usage was assessed 1 year later. The results offer insight into the positive association of parents' RMU with their child's marijuana use and provide insights that may be useful in future prevention efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: The Contributions of Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging to Understanding Mechanisms of Behavior Change in Addiction.

  Jon Morgenstern, Nasir H Naqvi, Robert Debellis, Hans C Breiter
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  ABSTRACT: In the last decade, there has been an upsurge of interest in understanding the mechanisms of behavior change (MOBC) and effective behavioral interventions as a strategy to improve addiction-treatment efficacy. However, there remains considerable uncertainty about how treatment research should proceed to address the MOBC issue. In this article, we argue that limitations in the underlying models of addiction that inform behavioral treatment pose an obstacle to elucidating MOBC. We consider how advances in the cognitive neuroscience of addiction offer an alternative conceptual and methodological approach to studying the psychological processes that characterize addiction, and how such advances could inform treatment process research. In addition, we review neuroimaging studies that have tested aspects of neurocognitive theories as a strategy to inform addiction therapies and discuss future directions for transdisciplinary collaborations across cognitive neuroscience and MOBC research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: Associations Between Chronic Pain Status, Attempts to Quit Smoking, and Use of Pharmacotherapy for Smoking Cessation.

  Emily L Zale, Joseph W Ditre
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  ABSTRACT: Chronic pain and tobacco dependence are two highly prevalent and comorbid conditions, and there is mounting evidence that smokers with comorbid pain may experience greater difficulty when attempting to quit smoking. The main goal of the current study was to examine cross-sectional relations between lifetime chronic pain status, number of past attempts to quit smoking, and past use of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation. Data were derived from a large, nationally representative survey of households in the continental United States. After adjusting for relevant third variables, analyses revealed that smokers who endorsed lifetime chronic pain were more likely to report having used pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation. Chronic pain status was not associated with number of past attempts to quit smoking. Thus, smokers with chronic pain appear motivated to quit smoking, and may be particularly amenable to pharmacologic intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: The Effects of Alcohol, Emotion Regulation, and Emotional Arousal on the Dating Aggression Intentions of Men and Women.

  Cynthia A Stappenbeck, Kim Fromme
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  ABSTRACT: Verbal and physical dating aggression is prevalent among college-aged men and women, especially a pattern of mutual aggression in which both partners engage in aggression. Alcohol intoxication and anger arousal have been implicated in the occurrence of aggression, and the ability to regulate one's emotions may interact with both alcohol intoxication and emotional arousal to predict dating aggression. The current study is the first known experimental investigation to examine the effects of alcohol intoxication, alcohol expectancies, emotion regulation, and emotional arousal on dating aggression. Participants were randomized to receive alcohol (n = 48), placebo (n = 48), or no alcohol (n = 48). Intoxicated men and women expressed more verbal and physical aggression intentions than those in the no-alcohol condition, and individuals in the placebo condition did not significantly differ from those in the alcohol and no-alcohol conditions. These results suggest that the pharmacological effects of alcohol were important to the occurrence of dating aggression, whereas the effects of expectancy are less clear. Among those less able to engage in cognitive reappraisal, individuals who consumed or believed they consumed alcohol expressed more verbal and physical aggression intentions than those who received no alcohol. Those with higher arousal who were better able to suppress their emotions expressed fewer verbal and physical aggression intentions than those with lower arousal. In addition to reducing alcohol consumption, interventions for dating aggression might incorporate emotion regulation skills, with a focus on understanding the circumstances in which cognitive reappraisal and emotion suppression are relatively more effective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: Developmental Trends and Individual Differences in Brain Systems Involved in Intertemporal Choice During Adolescence.

  Marie T Banich, Alejandro De La Vega, Jessica R Andrews-Hanna, Kristen Mackiewicz Seghete, Yiping Du, Eric D Claus
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  ABSTRACT: This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural systems activated during an intertemporal choice task in a group of 14- to 19-year-old adolescents, as well as the relationship of such activation patterns to individual differences in the self-reported ability to engage in nonimmediate thinking (i.e., less impulsive and more future-oriented thoughts and action). With increasing age, there was greater differentiation between patterns of brain activity for immediate versus future choices across three distinct brain systems involved in intertemporal choice-those involved in exerting control over behavior, attributing affective value to choices, and imagining future outcomes. Furthermore, a greater propensity toward self-reported nonimmediate thinking was associated with decreased activity in the systems involved in cognitive control, possibly suggesting that individuals with greater self-reported nonimmediate thinking need to rely less on cognitive control regions during conditions of intertemporal choice. These results highlight the role that both developmental age and individual differences play in influencing neural systems involved in intertemporal choice. Implications for understanding the onset of substance abuse disorders during adolescence are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;
• Article: Context-Processing Abilities in Chronic Cocaine Users.

  Jessica A H Jones, Kelvin O Lim, Jeffrey R Wozniak, Sheila Specker, Angus W Macdonald
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  ABSTRACT: Cocaine dependence is a particularly severe problem in the United States, resulting in broad economic and personal costs. Significant evidence of generalized cognitive deficits associated with cocaine dependence has been reported. Two studies evaluated whether context processing, the processes involved in representing and maintaining information regarding the context of one's environment, might be seen as a process-specific deficit that may explain some aspects of the broader cognitive deficits associated with cocaine dependence. Study 1 used the expectancy variant of the AX task to assess this ability; Study 2 employed the Dot Pattern Expectancy task. Significant between-groups differences were found in each study for d'-context, a comparison of AX hits and BX misses; these results indicated significant between-groups differences in context-processing ability. In Study 1, significant between-groups a priori contrasts of AY versus BX trials indicated the likelihood of a specific deficit in context processing in the cocaine group; however, this contrast was not significant in Study 2. Overall, the results of these studies support the theory of impaired context-processing ability associated with cocaine misuse. However, these results do not allow for the interpretation of a process-specific deficit in context-processing ability. Future research targeted at investigating aspects of this context-processing impairment associated with cocaine misuse can shed light on the specificity of this deficit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 04/2013;