Expectancy research has recently started examining the influences of implicit cognitive processes, generally defined as those operating automatically or outside conscious awareness [54,55]. Recent reviews provide a convincing rationale for the putative role of implicit processes in addictive behaviors and relapse [54,56,57]. Implicit measures of alcohol-related cognitions can discriminate among light and heavy drinkers [58] and predict drinking above and beyond explicit measures [59]. One study found that smokers' attentional bias to tobacco cues predicted early lapses during a quit attempt, but this relationship was not evident among people receiving nicotine replacement therapy, who showed reduced attention to cues [60].
