How executive functioning moderates the relation between implicit alcohol associations and heavy episodic drinking

Heavy episodic drinking (HED) is common among college students and poses risks for negative consequences. Evidence suggests that HED is more frequent among those with stronger implicit alcohol associations, and the impact of these implicit associations on drinking may be moderated by executive functioning. A study examined the role of two executive function components – working memory (WM) and planning – as moderators of implicit alcohol-approach associations and HED among college students who drink alcohol.
One hundred forty-one participants completed measures of alcohol use, implicit alcohol-approach associations, working memory, and planning. The respective two-way and three-way interactions between implicit alcohol associations, working memory, and planning on heavy episodic drinking were examined. Results showed that WM and planning each moderated the relation between the alcohol implicit association test (IAT) and HED. IAT scores were positively associated with heavy episodic drinking when working memory and planning were low (-1 SD) but not high (+1 SD). Although results from the three-way interaction exhibited a nonsignificant trend, the pattern of results showed that the association between IAT and heavy episodic drinking was stronger at lower levels of working memory, but only when planning was also low, not high. Findings support the view that heavy episodic drinking among college students who drink alcohol may be a function of automatic alcohol associations and that these associations may be stronger among those with lower working memory and planning abilities. These results replicate and extend our understanding of how executive functioning may moderate the impact of implicit alcohol cognitions on risky drinking and suggest potential intervention targets.
Source: Rowland, B. H. P., Iaciofano, J., & Palfai, T. P. (2024). How executive functioning moderates the relation between implicit alcohol associations and heavy episodic drinking: The roles of planning and working memory. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 32(4), 379–385. doi.org/10.1037/pha0000690