Alcohol expectancy and the relationship between drinking and physical aggression

This study investigated the role of alcohol expectancy as a moderator of the relationship between drinking habits and self-reported frequency of physical aggression. Questionnaires were administered to a sample of 114 American male college students. After controlling for the subjects' ages, hostility, and attitude toward aggression, the relationship between drinking habits and frequency of physical aggression was significantly stronger for those expecting alcohol to increase aggression than for those expecting either a decrease or no effect on aggression. This finding lends support to expectancy-based explanations of alcohol's effects.