Findings were largely consistent with these hypotheses, providing the first direct evidence for the construct validity of the ASQ. Several lines of evidence support this conclusion. First, trajectories of subjective response over time as a function of ASQ scores (see Figures 1–3) showed that higher ASQ-Light scores were associated with greater stimulation, consistent with modified differentiator model predictions (King et al., 2011), whereas higher ASQ-Heavy scores predicted lower sedation and subjective intoxication ratings. Second, in models directly comparing the predictive utility of the ASQ and SRE, the ASQ afforded the best prediction of both stimulation and sedation. The SRE, in contrast, was better at predicting subjective intoxication (but see the additional models described in the online supporting information). Third, for each of these dependent measures responses were strongly affected by interactions involving beverage group and sensitivity scores, indicating that ASQ and SRE scores reflect sensitivity to the pharmacological effects of alcohol, as opposed to expectancy-based effects or affective fluctuations more broadly.
