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College students (76 females. 32 males) were shown videotaped clips from popular films depicting either (a) desirable outcomes of drinking distilled spirits, (b) undesirable outcomes of drinking distilled spirits, or (c) no portrayals of distilled spirits. After presenting the film clips, we assessed their alcohol outcome expectancies and intentions to drink alcoholic beverages in the next week Participants in the positive film condition endorsed more positive expectancies than did participants in the control condition, and participants in the positive and negative film conditions endorsed more negative expectancies than did the participants in the control condition. Intentions to drink distilled spirits in the next week did not differ by film condition.

Alcohol expectancy-challenge programs are effective in changing expectancies and reducing drinking in college men (J. Darkes & M. S. Goldman, 1993, 1998); however, recent evidence suggests this protocol might not be effective for women (M. E. Dunn, C. Lau, & I. Y. Cruz, 2000). This study was designed to reevaluate the effectiveness of a social/sexual expectancy-challenge intervention in college women reporting moderate to heavy alcohol use. Forty-six undergraduate women were randomly assigned to the prevention or control condition. Participants reported alcohol expectancies at pre- and posttest and monitored their drinking patterns daily for 6 weeks. The program was effective in changing some expectancies but did not reduce drinking. This further confirms differences in the mechanisms by which expectancy-challenge programs function for men and women.

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