Alcohol-related visual cues impede the ability to process auditory information: Seeing but not hearing.

Abstract

Studies of visual attention find that drinkers spend more time attending to images of alcohol-related stimuli compared to neutral images. It is believed that this attentional bias contributes to the maintenance of alcohol use. However, no research has examined the possibility that this bias of visual attention might actually impede the functioning of other modalities, such as the processing of accompanying auditory stimuli. This study aimed to determine if alcohol-related images engender greater sensory dominance than neutral images, such that processing accompanying information from another modality (audition) would be impeded. Drinkers who had an attentional bias to alcohol-related images performed a multisensory perception task that measured how alcohol-related versus neutral visual images affected their ability to detect and respond to simultaneously presented auditory signals. In accord with the hypothesis, compared with neutral images, the presentation of alcohol-related images impaired the ability to detect and respond to auditory signals. Increased dominance of the visual modality was demonstrated by more bimodal targets being misclassified as visual-only targets in the alcohol target condition compared with that of the neutral. Findings suggest that increased processing of alcohol-related stimuli may impede an individual’s ability to encode and interpret information obtained from other sensory modalities.

Visual and auditory contextual cues differentially influence alcohol-related inhibitory control

“…In order to ensure sufficient statistical power, this recommended sample size was doubled and25 participants were recruited. This sample size and gender ratio is consistent with that reported in previous research (Monem & Fillmore, 2016, n = 25, n = 13 females; Leiva et al, 2015, n = 20, n = 15 females; Vorstius, Radach, Lang, & Riccardi, 2008; n = 24, n = 12 females). Participants were required to be over the legal age of drinking to take part (18 years old in the U.K.) and reported no visual acuity or auditory deficits.…”

“…Indeed, previous studies have provided plentiful evidence for the impact of visual alcohol-related stimuli on inhibitory control mechanisms (e.g., Kreusch et al, 2013;Weafer & Fillmore, 2012), yet relatively less research has examined the impact of alcohol-related auditory stimuli on these processes. As an exception, one study has shown that alcohol-related visual cues impede processing of simultaneously presented auditory signals on a multisensory perception task (Monem & Fillmore, 2016). Other research beyond the focus of substance misuse asserts that the impact of auditory cues on visual attention may be contingent upon their relevance to the task at hand (Leiva, Parmentier, Elchlepp, & Verbruggen, 2015).…”

“…Moreover, it was expected that participants would be more accurate and quicker to respond to alcohol-related visual stimuli on pro-saccade trials when they were exposed to short bar-related auditory cues (as per Leiva et al, 2015). However, during anti-saccade trials, we predicted that alcohol-related auditory cues would interfere with goal-directed performance and impair inhibitory control towards visual alcohol-related stimuli (c.f., Monem & Fillmore, 2016). This was underpinned by the rationale that hearing alcohol-related sound (i.e., audio from a bar environment) should make alcohol-related cues more salient to the individual, attracting their attention.…”

Los estímulos contextuales visuales y auditivos impactan de manera diferenciada el control inhibitorio relacionado con el alcohol

“…De hecho, estudios anteriores han aportado gran cantidad de evidencia para el impacto de los estímulos visuales relacionados con el alcohol sobre los mecanismos de control inhibitorio (e.g., Kreusch et al, 2013;Weafer y Fillmore, 2012), pero relativamente menos estudios han examinado el impacto de los estímulos auditivos relacionados con el alcohol sobre estos procesos. Como excepción, un estudio encontró que los estímulos visuales relacionados con el al-cohol obstaculizan el procesamiento de señales auditivos presentados simultáneamente en una tarea de percepción multisensorial (Monem y Fillmore, 2016). Otros estudios fuera del campo de abuso de sustancias afirman que el impacto de los estímulos auditivos sobre la atención visual podrá estar supeditado a su relevancia para la tarea ejecutada en ese momento (Leiva, Parmentier, Elchlepp, y Verbruggen, 2015).…”

“…Es más, se esperaba que los participantes tendrían mayor precisión y rapidez en sus respuestas a estímulos visuales relacionados con el alcohol en ensayos pro-sacádicos cuando estaban expuestos a estímulos auditivos cortos relacionados con el bar (según Leiva et al, 2015). No obstante, durante las tareas anti-sacádicas, esperábamos que los estímulos relacionados con el alcohol interferirían con el rendimiento fijado en un objetivo y disminuirían el control inhibitorio hacia los estímulos visuales relacionados con el alcohol (c.f., Monem y Fillmore, 2016). Esto fue respaldado por el razonamiento que escuchar un sonido relacionado con el alcohol (i.e., audio de un ambiente de bar) debería hacer más significativos para el participante los estímulos relacionados con el alcohol, captando su atención.…”