Book Description

Following practice, two groups of 10 subjects each were given pre- (baseline) tests of tracking performance in both static (stationary) and dynamic (whole body angular acceleration) conditions. One group then received orange juice which contained 2.0 ml of 100-proof vodka per kg of subject weight; the other group drank orange juice with a few drops of rum extract added. All subjects were led to believe that they were receiving alcohol. Additional tests were conducted 1, 2, 4, 8, and 10 hours after drinking. All tests were in total darkness with the exception of the visual display which was illuminated to a level recommended for cockpit instruments. Static tracking error declined slightly for the control group, but increased over the pre-drinking level during the 1-, 2-, and 4-hour tests for the alcohol group; only the 1-hour scores differed significantly from the pre-scores for the alcohol group. In comparing the two groups, static tracking errors for alcohol subjects were significantly higher than those of control subjects only at the 4-hour session when the effects of alcohol were beginning to wane. However, in the dynamic tests, alcohol subjects made significantly more tracking errors than control subjects during the 1-, 2-, and 4-hour sessions. These data suggest that eye-hand coordination may show little or no impairment following alcohol ingestion in static situations, yet may be seriously degraded during motion. (Author).