Maylor, Elizabeth A. and Rabbitt, Patrick. (1987) Effects of practice and alcohol on performance of a perceptual-motor task. The quarterly journal of experimental psychology: Section A, Human experimental psychology, Vol.39 (No.4). pp. 777-795. ISSN 0272-4987

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Abstract

Practice may modify the effects of alcohol on perceptual-motor performance in at least three different ways: (1) alcohol may affect learning—that is, the rate at which performance of a skill improves with practice; (2) alcohol may have a greater effect on performance when the skill is unfamiliar than when it is practised; and (3) practice with alcohol may allow adaptation to its effects. These were investigated using a simple computer game in which subjects attempted to destroy a tank by pressing a key to release a bomb from a plane horizontally traversing the screen above it. The results demonstrated that (1) performance improved with practice; (2) with alcohol (0.8 mg/kg body weight), subjects were more variable and less accurate; (3) improvement with alcohol was greater than without alcohol, but as performance was impaired by alcohol, there was greater scope for improvement; (4) those who practised with alcohol still improved when switched to no alcohol late in practice; and (5) alcohol had the same effect early and late in practice. It is therefore concluded that there is no evidence to support any of the three suggestions outlined above.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Psychology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Alcohol -- Physiological effect, Perceptual-motor processes, Perception, Human information processing -- Effect of drugs on
Journal or Publication Title:	The quarterly journal of experimental psychology: Section A, Human experimental psychology
Publisher:	Psychology Press
ISSN:	0272-4987
Date:	1987
Volume:	Vol.39
Number:	No.4
Page Range:	pp. 777-795
Identification Number:	10.1080/14640748708401813
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Funder:	Medical Research Council (Great Britain) (MRC)
Grant number:	G221479N (MRC)
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/35788

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