Effects of acute alcohol intoxication on visual processing and oculomotor control [Elektronische Ressource] / vorgelegt von Christian Vorstius

Cvorstius

Sujets

• Gesundheit

Informations

• Publié par: rheinisch-westfalischen_technischen_hochschule_-rwth-_aachen
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 25
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Effects of acute alcohol intoxication on
visual processing and oculomotor control

Von der Philosophischen Fakultät der Rheinisch-Westfälischen Technischen Hochschule
Aachen zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Philosophie genehmigte
Dissertation



vorgelegt von
Christian Vorstius

aus
Rheinberg am Niederrhein




Berichter: Univeristätsprofessor Dr. Iring Koch
Univeristätsprofessor Dr. Ralph Radach


Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 14. März 2008






Diese Dissertation ist auf den Internetseiten der Hochschulbibliothek online verfügbar.

Acknowledgments
The process of writing a dissertation is accompanied by a multitude of challenges the
candidate has to master. Some challenges increase excitement about the research project,
while other nuisances can easily evoke negative emotions including those of frustration and
desperation. Even though I was alone during the countless hours of SPSS data analyses, text
writing, and editing, I am very grateful for the support I experienced from a great number of
people during the various stages of this ‘adventure.’

I want to thank my advisor, Ralph Radach, for inviting me to join him in Florida for the last
three years. During this time, I worked on many projects in his lab, which afforded me the
opportunity to find my own research topic. Furthermore, I am also thankful for our fruitful
discussions on experimental design and analyses, which helped shape the final version of this
dissertation as well as his comments on earlier drafts and parts of this dissertation. The work
with my advisor, Iring Koch, was very pleasant, too. I want to thank him for the
uncomplicated handling of our “long distance relationship”, his input on the design and
analysis of the task switching paradigm, and his honest feedback. In addition to my official
advisors, I would also like to thank Alan Lang and his lab members (especially Christina
Riccardi) for introducing me to the art of alcohol research. Specifically, I would like to
recognize Al’s guidance in preparing manuscripts for publication and his great skill in
administrative matters.

Other enduring support came from my family and friends back home in Germany. Foremost,
I want to thank my parents and grandmother, who always encouraged me even though they
were not always exactly certain of what I was doing. This unwavering support put my mind
at ease and helped me maintain my focus on the important things. It also allowed me to enjoy
the pleasent sides of life, for which I am very grateful. Furthermore, the teasing (but loving)
remarks from my brother, Sven, not only kept me motivated, with respect to the dissertation
work, but also with regard to my weight, which I managed to keep constant during my stay in
the US, despite all the fried ‘temptations’. Additionally, I want to thank my good childhood
and college friends. Even though our conversations were not frequent, when we were able to
get together, it felt like I never left; for me, that is the best sign for true friendship. I also
want to thank my friends at the DRK-Wasserwacht Niederrhein and the DRK Rheinberg for
always welcoming me back with open arms and making sure that I don’t lose touch with
reality.

When living such a long way away from home, it is important have nice people around you
to feel comfortable. I was very lucky to find such people in Tallahassee. There are my
numerous friends I had the pleasure to live with. Whether it was “The Germans” (in order of
appearance: Christiane Schmitten, Alke Daniels, Daniel Corbic, and Kathrin Hippmann) or
“The Turks” (Mine Misirlisoy and K. Ilker Sen), living at Polos was always very
harmonious. I not only enjoyed our time together, but think that I also learned a great deal
from each of you. I also want to thank my good friends Kiara and Nathan Timpano.


Spending time with you was always fun and entertaining, no matter if it was at the gym, the
beach, a coffee shop, or at one of the countless times when the most delicious foods were
expertly prepared in your kitchen. Further thanks go to my friend Lisa Glover. I really
enjoyed our outdoor activities, movie nights, and trips to various locations, including the 14
hour drive to Houston. In addition, you did not only brighten up the life in the lab, but also
patiently put up with my never ending questions on American oddities, vocabulary, phrases,
and grammar. Furthermore, I want to thank Lisa, Jessi Hill, and Ashley Greene for proof
reading the manuscript at different stages and not making fun of my mistakes.

Finally, thanks to all my participants, who came to the lab eager to get free alcohol and ended
up staring at little dots on the screen for an awfully long time. Still, almost all of them
returned for the second session and the results show that they did a great job.




Table of Content
TABLE OF CONTENT ....................................................................................................................................... I
LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................................................................IV
LIST OF TABLES......................VI
ABSTRACT ENGLISH.................. VIII
ABSTRACT GERMAN .................................................................................................................................... IX
1 INTRODUCTION: ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL INTOXICATION ON HUMAN
INFORMATION PROCESSING .........................................................................................................1
1.1 EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL INTOXICATION ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR..................................................................1
1.1.1 Physiological Effects of Alcohol.....................................................................................................2
1.1.2 Psychological and Behavioral Effects of Acute Alcohol Intoxication.............................................3
2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND......................................................................................................5
2.1 EYE MOVEMENTS: BASICS........................................................................................................................5
2.2 NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ON EYE MOVEMENT CONTROL....................................................6
2.3 A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE GENERATION OF SACCADES ........................................................8
2.3.1 LEVEL 1: Motor Command..........................................................................................................10
2.3.2 2: Movement Decision .....................................................................................................10
2.3.3 LEVEL 3: Automatic.....................................................................................................................11
2.3.4 4: Automated.......11
2.3.5 LEVEL 5: Voluntary........12
3 SPECIFIC AIMS AND EXPERIMENTAL PARADIGMS .............................................................13
3.1 BASIC OCULOMOTOR PARADIGMS...........................................................................................................14
3.2 COMPLEX COGNITIVE TASKS...................................................................................................................16
3.2.1 Task Switching..............................................................................................................................16
3.2.2 Reading.........................................................................................................................................17
3.3 OVERVIEW PARADIGMS ..........................................................................................................................18
4 EXPERIMENTAL METHODS..........................................................................................................19
4.1 PARTICIPANT SCREENING .......................................................................................................................19
4.2 ALCOHOL ADMINISTRATION...................................................................................................................20
4.3 EYE MOVEMENT RECORDING21
4.4 PROCEDURE ............................................................................................................................................22
4.4.1 Cluster 1: Basic Oculomotor Paradigms......................................................................................22
4.4.2 Cluster 2: Complex Cognitive Tasks ............................................................................................24
4.5 SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS ....................................................................................................................25
4.5.1 Cluster 1: Basic Oculomotor Paradigms25
4.5.2 Study 2: Complex Cognitive Tasks ...............................................................................................25
5 AUTOMATIC PROCESSING: THE PRO SACCADE PARADIGM ............................................27
5.1 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND .....................................................