Development and Validation of the Alcohol Myopia Scale Andrew Lac Loyola Marymount University Dale E. Berger Claremont Graduate University Alcohol myopia theory conceptualizes the ability of alcohol to narrow attention and how this demand on mental resources produces the impairments of self-inflation, relief, and excess. The current research was designed to develop and validate a scale based on this framework. People who were alcohol users rated items representing myopic experiences arising from drinking episodes in the past month. In Study 1 (N = 260), the preliminary 3-factor structure was supported by exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2 (N = 289), the 3-factor structure was substantiated with confirmatory factor analysis, and it was superior in fit to an empirically indefensible 1-factor structure. The final 14-item scale was evaluated with internal consistency reliability, discriminant validity, convergent validity, criterion validity, and incremental validity. The Alcohol Myopia Scale (AMS) illuminates conceptual underpinnings of this theory and yields insights for understanding the tunnel vision that arises from intoxication. Keywords: alcohol myopia, alcohol, relief, self-inflation, scale validation Worldwide, alcohol is consumed at least on occasion by 55% of adults and is identified as the third leading risk factor for disease and disability, after child malnourishment and unsafe sex (World Health Organization, 2011). Alcohol is responsible for approxi- mately 2.5 million deaths per year, caused disproportionately by liver cirrhosis and traffic accidents (World Health Organization, 2011). Behaviors stemming from alcohol misuse, such as destruc- tion of property, child neglect and abuse, domestic abuse, sexual assault, and other criminal conduct, have a profound impact on public health (Navarro, Doran, & Shakeshaft, 2011). Maladaptive behaviors ensue because alcohol is a depressant that inhibits ac- tivity in the nervous system. This disruption of normal processes of synaptic transmission interferes with communication between the brain and sensory and motor functions (Geibprasert, Gallucci, & Krings, 2010; Kowalski, 2001). Even at low levels of alcohol consumption, physiological impairment is manifested in the form of compromised cognitive processing (Monti, Rohsenow, & Hutchison, 2000). Alcohol myopia theory (Josephs & Steele, 1990; Steele & Jo- sephs, 1990) is a framework for understanding and recognizing the demand that alcohol has on the effortful cognitive processing of information. The tunnel vision characterized by alcohol myopia places a limit on mental resources that are indispensable for making rational judgments and decisions (Giancola, Josephs, Par- rott, & Duke, 2010). The narrowing of attentional capacity to process information fully and effectively could be described as the intermediate gateway between encounters with alcohol and the subsequent occurrence of an array of specific consequences. After reviewing research on the myopic effects experienced by partici- pants who consumed alcohol in laboratory settings, Steele and Josephs (1990) identified three underlying classes of myopia, which they categorized as self-inflation, relief, and excess. Self-inflation is personified in terms of enhanced feelings of self-appraisal and even narcissism, as the drinker conveniently overlooks critical information about personal flaws (Banaji & Steele, 1989; Sevincer & Oettingen, 2013; Wolfe & Maisto, 2000). Due to the psychoactive demands of alcohol, an inflated self-image is achieved because attention becomes myopically fixated on the most superficial and salient aspects of the self. This comes at the expense of deeper mental processing, which is usually necessary to gain insight into the reality of personal shortcomings. Self- inflation is manifested in drinkers who acquire the confidence to perform daunting tasks and approach people more easily. Self- inflation arising from drinking is sometimes used as a means to muster the courage to pursue potential romantic partners with greater confidence and to enhance feelings of sexual appeal and performance. Relief or the temporary freedom from festering problems and burdens might be obtained by alcohol intake (Ostafin & Brooks, 2011; Volpicelli, 1987). Upon consumption, relief is achieved from the narrowing of attention previously allocated to processing undesirable thoughts and mood states. The mind becomes tempo- rarily distracted from accessing more distant concerns. These drinkers myopically focus on salient surface information, because requisite processing skills are unavailable to attend to ruminations and worries. Immediate relief from anxiety is a commonly known effect of intoxication (LaBrie, Migliuri, Kenney, & Lac, 2010). Thus, alcohol might be consumed to pacify the stress stemming from psychological or physical pain, or it might be consumed to bring a sense of calm at anxiety-provoking social events. Excess arising from intoxication is expressed in the form of exaggerated and erratic perceptions that produce reactive and This article was published Online First May 6, 2013. Andrew Lac, Department of Psychology, Loyola Marymount Univer- sity; Dale E. Berger, Department of Psychology, Claremont Graduate University. We thank Carlo Chuapoco for his assistance. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Andrew Lac, Department of Psychology, Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045. E-mail: andrew.lac@lmu.edu This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Psychological Assessment © 2013 American Psychological Association 2013, Vol. 25, No. 3, 738 –747 1040-3590/13/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0032535 738