Effects of Alcohol and White Noise on Recall of Relevant and Irrelevant Task Components

Abstract

This study examined the effects of arousal, induced by alcohol and white noise, on the free recall of intentionally learned words and incidentally learned word-locations, in the presence or absence of word-order cues. The Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List, a self-report measure of arousal, showed that noise affected the tension dimension of arousal, whereas the moderate alcohol dose primarily affected the energy dimension of arousal. That the low dose exerted an arousing effect was evidenced by an increase in tension but only when combined with noise. When word-order was randomized over trials, noise improved word-recall and counteracted the deleterious effect of the moderate alcohol dose. When order remained fixed, however, the moderate dose impaired recall, and at that dose recall was worse under noise. Location-recall was impaired by the moderate dose, and it was superior when word-order remained fixed. It was concluded that recall was influenced by arousal mechanisms and that perceived task demand and consequent effort were possible factors contributing to the obtained effects.