Development of the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI): Selection of items that are sensitive to the effects of various drugs

Summary

A “custom-built” inventory for assessing subjective effects of drugs, the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI), was developed from the use of “sentence completion” and other association techniques on male subjects under drug and no-drug conditions. In addition to demonstrated “drug-sentitive” questions, the final form of the inventory (550 “true-false” items) also contains items which may delineate to some extent schizoid and “psychopathic” characteristics. The format is similar to that of the MMPI and the content has a fairly wide range. Initial use indicates that the inventory is effective in differentiating various subjective effects of drugs and in discriminating some similarities and differences of naturally occurring and experimentally induced behavioral abnormalities. Results also indicate that the effectiveness of specially designed tests, whether in the form of complete sentences or adjective check lists, chiefly depends upon assessment of the “activitysedation” continuum and allied changes in motivation, alterations in mood such as in a “euphoria-dysphoric” continuum, alterations in sensation and perception, and in reportable physiological processes.