A behavioral assessment of alcohol consumption: Does corrective feedback influence self-report and pouring behavior?

College student drinking is assessed primarily via self-report with the assumption that students\u27 reports are accurate. However, students generally overestimate the fluid ounces that constitute a standard serving size of alcohol and few studies have compared self-report to demonstrated behavioral accuracy (i.e., pour tasks). Students assigned to either a feedback or control group (N = 20) reported their alcohol consumption during the previous 2 weeks before completing a free-pour of beer, wine and hard liquor. After receiving corrective feedback or reading an article (control group), they provided a post free-pour and again reported on their past two weeks\u27 consumption. The experimental group\u27s post-pours, measured as percent deviation from the standard serving size, of beer (M = -8.57%) and shots (M = 0.07%) deviated less in comparison to the control group\u27s post-pours of beer (M = -16.27%) and shots (M = 9.69%). Additionally, of the four participants in the experimental group who reported alcohol consumption on the TLFB, two altered their self-report after receiving feedback, yet their free-pours remained inaccurate. These data tentatively suggest that corrective feedback may result in a small increase in free-pour accuracy, but that feedback alone may not necessarily enhance the accuracy of self-report