Ethanol's Effect on Human Vigilance during a Simple Task in the Presence of an Auditory Stressor

Abstract

This study concerns the effect of ethanol on vigilance during a simple task. A “complete-the-picture” test was administered to 128 male college students. Subjects ingested either a placebo or a moderate dose of alcohol, and half were assigned to complete the task with a stressor, static noise, included in the test environment. The time spent on the task and the number of details sketched by each subject were measured. Moderate doses of alcohol appear to dampen peripheral stressors and allow attention toward a central, simple task to be maintained or increased.