Date of Award

Fall 12-1-1992

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Communication Disorders and Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology

First Advisor

Reece Chaney

Second Advisor

Walter Sullins

Third Advisor

William Barratt

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship of adolescents• level of alcohol use to various cognitive and contextual variables. The cognitive variables of concern included (a) alcohol knowledge, (b) generation of alternatives thinking, (c) means-ends thinking, and (d) selfefficacy. The contextual variables were specific factors associated with most recent alcohol use experiences. The sample consisted of 113 high school sophomores from two separate high schools located within a rural county in the upper Midwest. Subjects were separated into three groups (Nonusers, Occasional Users, and Heavy Users) based on their self-reported level of alcohol use in the past month. Subjects completed various questionnaires and participated in a structured interview. The data were analyzed using canonical discriminant analysis. Through that analysis, it was determined which of the five predictor variables (alcohol knowledge, generation of alternative thinking, means-ends thinking, selfefficacy, and gender) were related to the criterion variable of level of alcohol use. Chi Square analyses were also performed to determine differences among the three levels of alcohol use. No collection of scores on the five predictor variables was able to significantly discriminate level of alcohol use. A few significant differences in factors associated with iv most recent alcohol use among the three subject groups were found. The results are discussed in relation to Social Learning Theory. Practical applications of the research were discussed. Recommendations for future research were made.

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