Reconstructing alcohol-induced memory blackouts

Abstract

Many people who drink alcohol have experienced a blackout; whereby they are unable to recall events that occurred during a period of intoxication. Following these blackout episodes individuals may attempt to reconstruct what happened to them. Blackouts therefore afford an excellent opportunity to study the strategies people use to reconstruct forgotten experiences. We conducted a survey of university students to explore how people choose to reconstruct blackouts, and the likely accuracy of these reconstructions. Our findings add to the growing research literature on people's strategies for validating their past experiences, and highlight the important role of external sources in the reconstruction process. The data show that people's desire to “fill in the blanks” can lead them to rely on rather unreliable sources, and may also encourage them to adopt weaker source-monitoring criteria. Indeed, in at least some cases reconstructing blackouts appears to lead to the development of false beliefs or memories.

Keywords:

• Alcohol
• Amnesia
• Autobiographical memory
• Strategies

Notes

¹One unit was defined as roughly equivalent to: half a pint of regular-strength beer or cider; 1 small glass of wine; 1 pub measure of spirit; or half a 400-ml bottle of “alcopop”.

²Note that participants gave their “motivation” ratings before being asked about their experiences of exposure to false information.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melanie K. T. Takarangi

Melanie Takarangi is now at the School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia