Initial evidence suggests that implicit measures of expectancies are correlated with relapse outcomes, as demonstrated in one study of heroin users [61]. In another recent study, researchers trained participants in attentional bias modification (ABM) during inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence and measured relapse over the course of three months post-treatment [62]. Relative to a control condition, ABM resulted in significantly improved ability to disengage from alcohol-related stimuli during attentional bias tasks. While incidence of relapse did not differ between groups, the ABM group showed a significantly longer time to first heavy drinking day compared to the control group. Additionally, the intervention had no effect on subjective measures of craving, suggesting the possibility that intervention effects may have been specific to implicit cognitive processes [62]. Overall, research on implicit cognitions stands to enhance understanding of dynamic relapse processes and could ultimately aid in predicting lapses during high-risk situations.
