Smells like inhibition: The effects of olfactory and visual alcohol cues on inhibitory control

Abstract

RationaleHow the smell of alcohol impacts alcohol-related thoughts and behaviours is unclear, though it is well-documented that alcohol-related stimuli and environments may trigger these.ObjectivesThe current study, therefore, aimed to investigate the priming effects of both visual and olfactory alcohol cues on inhibitory control.MethodForty individuals (M age = 23.65, SD = 6.52) completed a go/no-go association task (GNAT) which measured reaction times, response accuracy and false alarm rates whilst being exposed to alcohol-related (or neutral) olfactory and visual cues.ResultsAlcohol-related visual cues elicited lower false alarm rates, slower reaction times and higher accuracy rates relative to neutral pictorial cues. False alarm rates were significantly higher for those exposed to alcohol as opposed to neutral olfactory cues.ConclusionsBy highlighting that exposure to alcohol-related olfactory cues may impede response inhibition, the results indicate that exposure to such stimuli may contribute to the activation of cognitive responses which may drive consumption.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00213-016-4221-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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The influence of groups and alcohol consumption on individual risk-taking

“…As such, it may be that findings from the current placebo condition are reflective of alcohol expectancies (Martin & Sayette, 1993). Indeed, the mere presence of alcohol-related olfactory cues (as would be the case in the current placebo condition) has been shown to hinder participants' ability to inhibit their behaviour (Monk, Sunley, Qureshi, & Heim, 2016). Future research may therefore benefit from the additional inclusion of a pure control group (for example, the use of a soft drink where there is no suggestion of alcohol consumption).…”

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