Abstract
Eight male subjects searched for target alphanumeric characters using a touch-entry equipped CRT under four levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), 0.0, 0.05, 0.07, and 0.09 percent. Participants visually searched randomly generated 108-character arrays for imbedded target characters, touching the CRT surface at target locations when located. Half of the search trials used arrays containing no target, providing the apportunity for “giving-up” any search trial at the discretion of the participant. A monetary incentive/penalty system was used to define low- and high-criticality search trials. Search time, touch accuracy, the number of trials completed, the percent of “give-ups”, and hand travel time were all significantly degraded by the alcohol dosages used. An alcohol-criticality interaction was observed for percent give-ups, and an alcohol-target presence interaction was significant for mean search times.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.