Understanding how affect and motivation influence heavy drinking decisions
Official title: Exploring affect-motivated alcohol use as a value-based decision-making process
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11402830 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A researcher is studying how feelings influence when and why people choose to drink heavily, with the goal of helping people who struggle with alcohol use.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $249,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R00AA030591-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11402830 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with patterns of heavy drinking who want to understand and change their drinking behavior.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals not actively seeking to modify their drinking behavior or without current heavy drinking patterns may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project blends psychology, real-life drinking situations, and computer modeling to map how moods and motivation shape alcohol choices. It will use ecological momentary assessment to capture moments of drinking behavior as they happen and apply computational models to explain the decision processes behind those choices. The training phase will prepare Dr. Dora to lead independent work, partnering with mentors and collaborators to develop and test new ideas that could inform better interventions. If successful, the research could shed light on how everyday emotions drive risky drinking and point to ways to support healthier decisions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Improved understanding of how emotions influence drinking, which could inform personalized strategies to reduce heavy alcohol use.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies using ecological momentary assessment and computational modeling have shown promise in explaining drinking behavior, and this project builds on that approach with an independence-trained researcher.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dora, Jonas — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Dora, Jonas
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.