Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Vol. 38, No. 11, 1977
TemporalInformationProcessing by Alcoholics SanfordGoldstone,William T. Lhamon and H. GeorgeNurnberg SUMMARY.In time-discriminationtests using visual and auditory stimuli, more information was transmitted by social drinkers than by alcoholics,and cognitively unimpaired alcoholicstransmittedmore information than did cognitively impaired alcoholics.
HE INTEGRITY ofthe central nervous system has been relatedto the ability to judgeefficientlyand correctlythe
various dimensions of the sensorium. Acute and chronic
syndromes of brain dysfunctionare frequentlyaccompanied by clinicalimpairmentof spatialand temporaljudgmentor orientation. Brain dysfunctionas a productof the prolongedmisuseof alcoholhas beeninferredfrom psychological measures of deficit in spatialabstraction andsetpersistence (e.g., 1-5); thesedeficits existdespiteglobalindicants of relativelyintactverbalintelligence (e.g., 1, 6-8). Thesetopicshavebeenreviewed(9, 10). Althoughstudiesof impairedspatialabstractionhave implicated temporalfactorssuchas sequencing and orderingin time, little work hasbeendoneon temporalcognitionand alcohol.It is assumedthat alcoholaltersthe amountof subjectivetime experiencedand interfereswith the efficiencyof temporalprocessing, but the few reportedstudiesof time estimation by alcoholics (11, 12) or by intoxicatednonalcoholics (13-17) have failed to reveal theseeffects.Studiesof alcoholics' time perspective have yielded x From the Edward W. Bourne Behavioral Research Laboratories, New York
Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Westchester Division, 21 BloomingdaleRoad, White Plains, NY 10605.
AC•rNOWLEr•GM•SNTs.--This studywas supportedin part by the Grace H. Lineberry Memorial Fund. We are also indebted to R. L. Stubblefield, M.D. and L. I. Marcus, M.D. of the Silver Hill Foundation and A. Brown-Mayers, M.D. and E. Seelye, M.D. of the New York Hospital for their assistanceand to the patients who participated. Received for publication: 20 May 1976. Revision: 17 November 1976. 2009
2010
s. GOLDSTONE, W. T. LHAMON AND H. G. NUtINBERG
contradictoryresults (11, 18). The effects of alcohol and alco-
holismon time estimation, judgment,perception or discrimination have been elusive,and clinicalmeasures of impairedbiological intelligence(1) have been restrictedprimarilyto spatialcategorization.
The statisticaland conceptual toolsof informationtheoryhave shownthat chronicbrain syndromes(19), normal aging and se-
nile dementia(20), and the therapeuticuse of haloperidolin a nonpsychotic population(21) are associated with a reductionin the amount of transmitted information,demonstratingreduced efficiencyof temporalprocessing. However,there have beenno reportson studiesof temporal processingin abstinentalcoholics.
The experiments reportedherefollowthe generalline of timediscriminationstudiesthat have demonstratedthe sensitivity of the measureof transmittedinformation,U
TemporalInformationProcessing by Alcoholics SanfordGoldstone,William T. Lhamon and H. GeorgeNurnberg SUMMARY.In time-discriminationtests using visual and auditory stimuli, more information was transmitted by social drinkers than by alcoholics,and cognitively unimpaired alcoholicstransmittedmore information than did cognitively impaired alcoholics.
HE INTEGRITY ofthe central nervous system has been relatedto the ability to judgeefficientlyand correctlythe
various dimensions of the sensorium. Acute and chronic
syndromes of brain dysfunctionare frequentlyaccompanied by clinicalimpairmentof spatialand temporaljudgmentor orientation. Brain dysfunctionas a productof the prolongedmisuseof alcoholhas beeninferredfrom psychological measures of deficit in spatialabstraction andsetpersistence (e.g., 1-5); thesedeficits existdespiteglobalindicants of relativelyintactverbalintelligence (e.g., 1, 6-8). Thesetopicshavebeenreviewed(9, 10). Althoughstudiesof impairedspatialabstractionhave implicated temporalfactorssuchas sequencing and orderingin time, little work hasbeendoneon temporalcognitionand alcohol.It is assumedthat alcoholaltersthe amountof subjectivetime experiencedand interfereswith the efficiencyof temporalprocessing, but the few reportedstudiesof time estimation by alcoholics (11, 12) or by intoxicatednonalcoholics (13-17) have failed to reveal theseeffects.Studiesof alcoholics' time perspective have yielded x From the Edward W. Bourne Behavioral Research Laboratories, New York
Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Westchester Division, 21 BloomingdaleRoad, White Plains, NY 10605.
AC•rNOWLEr•GM•SNTs.--This studywas supportedin part by the Grace H. Lineberry Memorial Fund. We are also indebted to R. L. Stubblefield, M.D. and L. I. Marcus, M.D. of the Silver Hill Foundation and A. Brown-Mayers, M.D. and E. Seelye, M.D. of the New York Hospital for their assistanceand to the patients who participated. Received for publication: 20 May 1976. Revision: 17 November 1976. 2009
2010
s. GOLDSTONE, W. T. LHAMON AND H. G. NUtINBERG
contradictoryresults (11, 18). The effects of alcohol and alco-
holismon time estimation, judgment,perception or discrimination have been elusive,and clinicalmeasures of impairedbiological intelligence(1) have been restrictedprimarilyto spatialcategorization.
The statisticaland conceptual toolsof informationtheoryhave shownthat chronicbrain syndromes(19), normal aging and se-
nile dementia(20), and the therapeuticuse of haloperidolin a nonpsychotic population(21) are associated with a reductionin the amount of transmitted information,demonstratingreduced efficiencyof temporalprocessing. However,there have beenno reportson studiesof temporal processingin abstinentalcoholics.
The experiments reportedherefollowthe generalline of timediscriminationstudiesthat have demonstratedthe sensitivity of the measureof transmittedinformation,U
