Schuckit (1985)

Aims

To see the role genes and biology play in the development of alcoholism.

Procedures

400 volunteers college men – half of them had an alcoholic father.

Independent groups design:

• Group 1 – received an alcohol beverage
• Group 2 – received a non-alcoholic beverage

Participants did not know which beverage they received as they all smelled and tasted like alcohol – deception.

Findings

• Sons of alcoholics said they felt less drunk and performed better in tests of hand-eye coordination.
• Sons of alcoholics swayed much less when walking and had less obvious changes in their hormones.
• 40% of the sons of alcoholics showed decreased sensitivity to alcohol compared to 10% of the sons of non-alcoholics.

Conclusions

There are real differences between men with alcoholic fathers and men with non-alcoholic fathers, suggesting that the role of genes in this addiction is strong.

Strengths:

• Objective – scientific measures were used to measure the blood-levels to check for alcohol levels, making the results more reliable since it leaves little space for interpretation.
• Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected, making the results more valid and holistic.
• Large sample – 400 men were studied, making the results more generalisable and applicable to the wider population.

Weaknesses:

• Ethical issues – participants were deceived.
• Qualitative and quantitative data – both have weaknesses. 
• Cultural and gender bias – the study was conducted in America with men only, making the findings less generalisable to the wider population of men and women in particular.