108 PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL. 



EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ON WORD-REACTION. 



A summary of the effect of alcohol on the word-reactions is given in 

 table 12. In the three sections of the table the effect of alcohol is shown 

 respectively, by averages, by average differences, and by percentile 

 differences. 



No matter how the effect of alcohol is reckoned as a result of these 

 measurements, it is minute to the point of disappearance after dose A, 

 and small but consistent after dose B. By every method of computa- 

 tion, dose B increases the latent time of the reaction. By percentile 

 differences the increase averages 6.2 per cent, i. e., 80 per cent of the 

 normal mean variation. The apparent effect of dose A, however, 

 depends on the table from which it was computed. If on the basis of 

 the small mean variation and the small effect of repetition, one ven- 

 tured to compute the effect from the averages, it would appear that 

 dose A decreased the latency in 4 out of 6 normal subjects, by about 

 3 per cent. If we reckon the effect, as in previous cases, by the differ- 

 ences, we find that dose A appears to lengthen the latency in 4 out of 6 

 cases, averaging 1 per cent. Taking the average of percentile changes, 

 dose A appears to effect practically no change at all, either in the main 

 group or in the psychopathic subjects. For reasons previously dis- 

 cussed, we believe the differences represent the facts more closely than 

 the simple averages. While these show an increase in reaction latency 

 in 4 out of 6 cases as a result of dose A, the percentile average change 

 is zero. 



The average change of latency due to the ingestion of alcohol (both 

 doses) is consequently about 3 per cent. In view of all our precautions 

 and the reliability of our technique, this must be regarded as evidence 

 for a real though slight tendency of moderate doses of alcohol to increase 

 the latency of the word-reaction. 



