Baseline BrAC was 0.0 in all participants and remained that way throughout the experiment for control and placebo participants. For alcohol participants, BrAC increased throughout most of the task (pretask M = .073%; after block 3 M = .078%; after block 7 M = .082%), F(2, 64) = 3.11, p = .05, before stabilizing (immediate post-task M = .081%), t(32) = .024, p = .81. Alcohol group participants reported feeling more intoxicated throughout the study (M = 4.27) than placebo group participants (M = 2.30), F(1, 62) = 39.88, p < .001. However, the pattern of subjective intoxication responses across assessments [increasing from pretask to midtask and decreasing thereafter; F(2,118) = 6.21, p = .01] did not vary in the placebo and alcohol conditions (Group × Time interaction: F < 1). Post-experiment estimates of the number of standard drinks consumed were higher in the alcohol group (M = 4.31) than the placebo group (M = 2.13), F(1, 62) = 41.50, p < .001. That placebo participants believed they had consumed approximately 2 standard drinks on average supports the effectiveness of the placebo manipulation.
