Aim To assess the effects of binge drinking on students' next‐day academic test‐taking performance.
Design A placebo‐controlled cross‐over design with randomly assigned order of conditions. Participants were randomized to either alcoholic beverage [mean = 0.12 g% breath alcohol concentration (BrAC)] or placebo on the first night and then received the other beverage a week later. The next day, participants were assessed on test‐taking, neurocognitive performance and mood state.
Participants A total of 196 college students (≥21 years) recruited from greater Boston.
Setting The trial was conducted at the General Clinical Research Center at the Boston Medical Center.
Measurements The Graduate Record Examinations© (GREs) and a quiz on a lecture presented the previous day measured test‐taking performance; the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES3) and the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) measured neurocognitive performance; and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) measured mood.
Findings Test‐taking performance was not affected on the morning after alcohol administration, but mood state and attention/reaction‐time were affected.
Conclusion Drinking to a level of 0.12 g% BrAC does not affect next‐day test‐taking performance, but does affect some neurocognitive measures and mood state.
", language="", issn="0965-2140", doi="10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02880.x", url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02880.x" }