Several limitations to this study should be considered. First, the use of a relatively small sample reduces power for detecting genetic associations. As a possible consequence of low power, the significant interaction effects observed in the current study were modest. While the direction of interaction effects appeared consistent across models, the most consistent significant effects were limited to analyses that focused on coping motives. Also, associations of implicit motives with drinking outcomes were not entirely uniform across analyses. It should also be noted that interpretations of moderating effects for COMT and ALDH2 are tentative in the absence of more detailed behavioral data. For instance, while we interpreted the moderating effects of COMT in the context of prior work showing genetic differences on measures of executive functioning, executive functioning measures were not included in this study. An additional limitation is the use of a cross-sectional design. Without experimental and/or prospective data, the possibility that drinking has a causal effect on implicit measures (rather than vice versa) cannot be ruled out. Finally, although findings concerning COMT could potentially generalize to other populations,
