Boston University · PsychologyAlcohol and Sexual Decision-Making Lab
Tibor P. Palfai · Boston, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Tibor P. Palfai's lab at Boston University's Psychology Department focuses on understanding how alcohol affects sexual decision-making, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). The lab conducts research on the mechanisms behind risky sexual behaviors when individuals are intoxicated and seeks to promote safer behaviors through innovative brief interventions. Their work integrates cognitive and motivational approaches to help reduce the risk of HIV transmission by enhancing condom use and lowering alcohol consumption.
HIV PreventionAlcoholSexual Decision MakingBehavior ChangeMSMCognitive MechanismsMotivational InterviewingPublic HealthRisk ReductionBehavioral Intervention
Research Aims
5AIM 01Understand how alcohol affects sexual decision-making among MSM in real-life contexts.
AIM 02Develop and test a behavioral intervention to promote condom use during intoxication.
AIM 03Explore cognitive and motivational mechanisms linking alcohol, arousal, and sexual risk behavior.
AIM 04Evaluate the effectiveness of brief interventions on reducing unsafe sexual practices.
AIM 05Advance knowledge on within-person processes influencing decisions in high-risk situations.
Skills the Lab Values
Intervention DesignExperience Sampling Method (ESM)Motivational InterviewingCognitive CounselingData Collection and AnalysisBehavioral ResearchStatistical AnalysisResearch EthicsPublic Health StrategiesRisk Assessment
Output against the department
Publications175top 41% of dept.120th of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations8.3ktop 35% of dept.105th of 296
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.