Alcohol intoxication impacts diverse behavioral and consequential effects on individuals where the degree of the consequences significantly depends on the alcohol dosage. Diverse working memory tasks are impaired on the administration of alcohol due to the decreased executive cognition function occurring due to the implications of alcohol. While the execution of core memory activities greatly depends on the proper functioning of the brain, subjection of the brain to acute alcohol consumption models the efficiency in which these processes are conducted. In this manner, the paper assesses the effects of alcohol consumption on memory in the attempt to characterize the implications of alcohol intoxication on memory. The study established significant results relevant to the highlighted effects of alcohol on memory. Significant differences between the scores of the binge and light drinkers establish the implications of alcoholic intoxication on cognitive capacities.
Introduction
While a majority of individuals consume alcohol in its varied forms, the associated effects are inevitable are induced including memory impairment. Structural (Margaret, 1995) and functional shifts (Oscar-Berman " Mariknkovic, 2007) in the normal functioning of the critical sections of the brain fundamentally model the working memory of an individual. The severity of brain defects due to alcohol intoxication as well as the associated cognitive and emotional implication significantly depend on the amount of alcohol dosage, age and health status among other volatile factors. Following these factors, the effects of alcohol vary from one individual to another being homogeneous among and heterogeneous within. While the cognitive domains are susceptible to impairment on the exposure to alcoholic intoxication, critical key aspects of cognition including the working memory (WM) significantly shift regarding functionality. Baddeley (1986, 2001) identifies the critical role of the working memory in the active engagement of memory processes associated with processing, manipulation, and storage of information. Given the executive function of the working memory, alcoholic intoxication acutely affects an individual's memory function in a dose-dependent capacity (Guillot, 2010) which in turn instigates the associated alcohol-related behaviors. Fundamentally, alcohol-induced shifts in the capacity of the memory based components of the executive functionality of the brain are the primary contributors to memory issues experienced on alcohol consumption. However, the decline in the working memory capacities differs from individuals, therefore, making a characterization of the memory issues and associated behavioral effects thereof.
The present study explores the effects of alcohol use on memory using three group of alcohol drinkers. With the aim of characterizing these effects, the study employed binge drinkers, non-binge drinkers, and non-drinkers as the three primary categories under assessment. Specifically, the study assessed the effects of alcoholic intoxication by employing a memory task where different scores were established from the assessment. Following the three distinct classes of drinkers identified in the study, different were established and analyzed for critical insights on the implications of alcohol consumption on the cognitive capacities.
Methods
The research study employed an elaborate procedure primarily aimed at gathering relevant data to address the study objectives. While considering the three categories of alcohol drinkers, data collection distinctively classifies the obtained data into these distinct groups. The materials used for the methodological procedure include a computer, notebook, and pens. The experimental procedure encompassed a numerical memory task conducted through the computer where the participants were required to recall numbers. While the participants were required to memorize the issued numbers, a fixed time frame of 5 minutes was accorded to each participant during the test. In the same manner, only three attempts were allowed for each participant throughout the entire experimental session. Moreover, conducting the study followed to regularly provide alcohol drinks rationed according to the groups of drinkers identified by the experiment.
Results
With a lower bound 0f 2.00 and an upper bound of 9.00, scores collected from the memory task reveal the memory capacity of individuals from each of the three distinct groups of drinkers. There was a significant difference between the means of the three groups as determined by the conducted one way-ANOVA test (F (3,36) = 3.503, p=.05).
Analysis of variance (Score):
Source
DF
Sum of squares
Mean squares
F
Pr > F
Model
2
20.702
10.351
3.503
0.042
Error
33
97.520
2.955
Corrected Total
35
118.222
Computed against model Y=Mean(Y)
Descriptive statistics established from the data analysis carried for the study asserts the difference in means where the binge mean for the binge drinkers was established to be 4.636364 with as standard deviation of 1.804036. In the same manner, a mean of 6.230769 for the light drinkers having a standard deviation of 1.535895 was established. Analysis of the non-drinkers postulated the mean of 6.333333 with a standard deviation of 1.825742.
Descriptive Statistics
N
Minimum
Maximum
Mean
Std. Deviation
Participant
36
1
36
18.50
10.536
Age
36
18.00
26.00
21.3611
2.19288
Score on Memory Task
36
2.00
9.00
5.7778
1.83787
Gender of participant
36
1.00
2.00
1.5000
.50709
Group
36
1
3
2.00
.828
Valid N (list wise)
36
Fig 1: descriptive statistics
Fig 2: Group mean scores
Turkey HSD comparison tests portray all the pairwise comparisons of the three groups of drinkers to be significantly different, p=0.05. Particularly, the pairwise comparison between the group of binge drinkers, -0.418 and that of the light drinkers, 0.188 revealed a significant discrepancy, p=0.01 while that between the light drinkers, 0.188 and the non-drinkers, 0.217 having a significantly moderate difference in comparison, p=0.05.
Model parameters (Score):
Source
Value
Standard error
t
PR > |t|
Lower bound (95%)
Upper bound (95%)
Intercept
6.333
0.496
12.762
< 0.0001
5.324
7.343
Group-1
-1.697
0.718
-2.365
0.024
-3.157
-0.237
Group-2
-0.103
0.688
-0.149
0.882
-1.503
1.298
Group-3
0.000
0.000
Fig 3: Score model parameters
Discussion
Analysis conducted on the study significantly provided insightful information critical for addressing the primary concerns of the study. While alcohol intoxication implicates detrimental effects on the working memory capacity of an individual, subsequent memory tasks tend to poorly performed due to the implications of alcohol on the memory. Heavy drinkers portray decreased capacities to memorize the numbers issued for the memory task adopted as compared to the light and non-drinkers. Given the high levels of alcohol intoxication among the binge drinkers, the combined memory capacity of the working memory (WM) is suppressed exposing group 1 individuals to divided attention while trying to recall the numerical figures (Cowan, 2006). Saults et al., (2007) highlights the non-detrimental working memory deficits on the less experienced drinkers. Non-binge drinkers and light drinkers are relatively tolerant to given dosages of alcoholic intoxication thereby having less severe implication on the memory processing capacity. The given factor accounts for the higher means and comparison index established in these two groups.
The findings are significant and relevant in comprehending the memory capacity of individuals on different levels of alcohol intoxication. Fundamentally, impaired cognition arising from alcoholic intoxication accounts for the consequent effects on performance on tasks requiring the application of memory. The study reports the alcohol-induced detrimental changes in the working memory and the significant difference in these changes between the three groups of drinkers classified according to the levels of alcohol administered. However, no significant relationship was established for the gender of the participants and the scores generated throughout the three groups. The finding highlighted the homogeneity in the implications of alcoholic intoxication on cognition among the different genders.
Conclusion
Alcoholic intoxication significantly impacts the cognitive capacity of an individual where this effects can be complex and varied over different kinds of people. The working memory processes are sensitive to the forms of intoxication which affects the brains cognitive power. Given that alcohol impairs the core components of cognition, its effects become vivid in memory-related issues when an individual attempt to create, understand or recall things.
References
Baddeley, A. D. (1986). Working memory. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Baddeley, A. D. (2001). Is working memory still working? American Psychologist, 56:851–864.
Cowan, N. F. (2006). The scope of attention, control of attention, and intelligence in children and adults. Memory " Cognition. . cognitive psychology, 34:1754–1768.
Guillot, C. F. (2010). Effects of alcohol on tests of executive functioning in men and women: a dose-response examination. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol., 18(5):409–417.
Margaret, J. A. (1995). Structural brain alterations associated with alcoholism. National Institute of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, 19: 266-277.
Oscar-Berman " Mariknkovic, M. K. (2007). Alcohol: Effects on Neurobehavioral Functions and the Brain. Neuropsychologia review, 17: 239–257.
Saults, J. N. (2007). Differential Effects of Alcohol on Working Memory: Distinguishing Multiple Processes. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol, 576-587.
