Distraction does not impair memory during intoxication: support for the attention-allocation model.

OBJECTIVE: This study was developed to offer direct support for the Josephs and Steele attention-allocation model. The model suggests that alcohol consumption limits attentional resources to the most salient environmental cue. METHOD: Forty men participated in a study designed to test the model using measures of memory and attention during ethanol intoxication. Twenty completed memory tests in the presence of a background distractor and 20 completed the tests without a distractor, in two sessions: once while intoxicated (80 mg/dl BAC) and once while sober. RESULTS: A significant Distraction x Intoxication interaction indicated that ethanol-related differences in recall occurred only in the absence of distraction. Distraction impaired subjects only when they were sober. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the Josephs and Steele attention-allocation model. Findings are discussed in broad terms of an individual's cognitive capabilities when intoxicated and in terms of risk for later alcoholism.