The effects of alcohol ingestion on human performance.

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Authors
Marlowe, Gilbert Murray
Subjects
alcohol
information processing time
reaction time
movement time
alcohol adaptation
alcohol effects on anxiety
alcohol effects on human performance
Advisors
Neil, Douglas E.
Date of Issue
1973-09
Date
September 1973
Publisher
Language
en_US
Abstract
This experiment investigated the effects of alcohol ingestion on three measures of human performance: (a) information processing time, (b) reaction time and (c) movement time. The relationship between the alcohol effects and the drinking history of the subjects was also examined in order to determine the existence of any alcohol adaptation. In addition, the influence of alcohol on manifest anxiety was investigated. The analyses of variance and correlation analysis which were performed showed that dosage had a significant effect on information processing time and reaction time but had no significant effect on movement time. The rate of ingestion, except at the highest rate of 3 oz/35 min, did not significantly contribute to the effects of dosage. There was no significant correlation between alcohol effects and drinking history or manifest anxiety changes. The results of this study indicate that, even at small dosages, alcohol has a great effect on cognitive ability. It was also shown that alcohol effects psychomotor performance to a lesser degree and has little effect on neuromuscular performance.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Operations Research and Administrative Sciences
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.