Biomaterial Database

Extraversion and alcohol: Eysenck's drug postulate revisited. 1995

T Rammsayer

Institute of Psychology, University of Jena, Germany.

Within the framework of Eysenck's drug postulate alcohol is frequently used as an example for a depressant drug that should shift a person's position on the extraversion-introversion axis in the direction of lower arousability. However, only little experimental evidence for differential effects of alcohol on extraverts and introverts appears to exist. Therefore, a placebo-controlled study was designed to investigate the effects of 0.65 g/kg alcohol on temporal discrimination, time estimation, reaction time, movement time, critical flicker fusion frequency (CFF), as well as feelings of activity, alertness, drowsiness, joyfulness, and relaxation in introverts and extraverts. While a main effect of alcohol could be shown for temporal discrimination (p < 0.05), reaction time (p < 0.05), CFF (p = 0.01), and feelings of alertness (p < 0.001) and joyfulness (p < 0.01), significant interactive effects of alcohol and extraversion were only found for time estimation (p < 0.001) and feelings of relaxation (p < 0.01). Extraversion-related differences in movement time (p = 0.05) proved to be insensitive to alcohol. Results are discussed with regard to the pharmacological profile of alcohol and the validity of the drug postulate.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007439	Introversion, Psychological	A state in which attention is largely directed inward upon one's self.	Introversion (Psychology),Introversion, Psychology,Introversion,Psychological Introversion,Psychology Introversion
D008297	Male		Males
D010555	Personality Inventory	Check list, usually to be filled out by a person about himself, consisting of many statements about personal characteristics which the subject checks.	Edwards Personal Preference Schedule,Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,Indicator, Myers-Briggs Type,Inventories, Personality,Inventory, Personality,Myers Briggs Type Indicator,Personality Inventories
D011597	Psychomotor Performance	The coordination of a sensory or ideational (cognitive) process and a motor activity.	Perceptual Motor Performance,Sensory Motor Performance,Visual Motor Coordination,Coordination, Visual Motor,Coordinations, Visual Motor,Motor Coordination, Visual,Motor Coordinations, Visual,Motor Performance, Perceptual,Motor Performance, Sensory,Motor Performances, Perceptual,Motor Performances, Sensory,Perceptual Motor Performances,Performance, Perceptual Motor,Performance, Psychomotor,Performance, Sensory Motor,Performances, Perceptual Motor,Performances, Psychomotor,Performances, Sensory Motor,Psychomotor Performances,Sensory Motor Performances,Visual Motor Coordinations
D011930	Reaction Time	The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed.	Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D002492	Central Nervous System Depressants	A very loosely defined group of drugs that tend to reduce the activity of the central nervous system. The major groups included here are ethyl alcohol, anesthetics, hypnotics and sedatives, narcotics, and tranquilizing agents (antipsychotics and antianxiety agents).	CNS Depressants,Depressants, CNS
D005120	Extraversion, Psychological	A state in which attention is largely directed outward from the self.	Extraversion (Psychology),Extraversion, Psychology,Extroversion, Psychological,Extroversion, Psychology,Extraversion,Extroversion,Extroversion (Psychology),Psychological Extraversion,Psychological Extroversion,Psychology Extraversion,Psychology Extraversions,Psychology Extroversion
D005425	Flicker Fusion	The point or frequency at which all flicker of an intermittent light stimulus disappears.	Flicker Fusions,Fusion, Flicker,Fusions, Flicker
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults