Neurocognitive characteristics have been posited as both a risk factor preceding the development of an AUD (Giancola & Tarter, 1999; Peterson & Pihl, 1990; Pihl, Peterson, & Finn, 1990), as well as a consequence of protracted drinking in adults (e.g., Sullivan, Rosenbloom, & Pfefferbaum, 2000) and teens (e.g., Brown et al, 2008; Brown, Tapert, Granholm, & Delis, 2000). Specific attention has been given to the role of executive functioning as a precursor to problematic alcohol use because of the potential relationship between neurocognitive deficits and diminished decision-making capacity. Executive functioning refers to a higher-order cognitive construct involving the organization and regulation of cognition and goal-directed behavior. It includes such abilities as working memory, attentional control, problem-solving, abstract reasoning, and response suppression/behavioral inhibition (Stuss & Benson, 1984).
