Fake university bar studies drinking behaviour

A fake pub has been installed at the London South Bank University (LSBU) by its psychology department, the first of its kind in the UK, but previously used to conduct research in American universities.

The high-tech observation station cost £20,000 to construct, on the fourth floor of LSBU’s main building and boasts fake beer pumps, authentic lighting, music and even the pre-recorded background chatter to help convince participants that they are in a real bar. Even the glasses are lightly rubbed with a small quantity of ethanol to create the smell of a pub.

Hidden CCTV cameras record every move made by the research participants and relay it in real time to students in nearby rooms.

Dr Tony Moss, head of psychology at LSBU, wanted to recreate the feel of a proper pub to test reactions in as authentic a setting as possible, but where conditions could be controlled. In a real pub there are too many other influences and a lack of experimental control.

Whether there is actually any alcohol served will depend on the nature of the test. Dr Moss, specialises in the cognitive aspects of addiction and the application of decision theory for understanding the onset, maintenance and offset of addictive behaviours. He says the research is crucial in gaining better understanding of why, and how, people drink.

Every experiment has to be approved by the university’s ethics committee with the amount of alcohol dispensed carefully controlled up to the drink-drive limit.