conflict is likely or predictable (see Bartholow et al., 2003; Gustafson & Kallmen, 1990a, 1990b; Tarter et al., 1971), conditions that more strongly engage proactive than reactive control (e.g., Burgess & Braver, 2010; see also Gratton, Coles, & Donchin, 1992). Thus, one possibility suggested by the current data is that alcohol’s effects on performance, both in laboratory tasks and in behaviors occurring in natural environments, are due primarily to impairment of reactive control processes, particularly in terms of the cognitive system’s ability to process and recover from errors. Future studies employing manipulations of conflict probability or other tasks designed to differentiate the two modes of control (e.g., AX-CPT; Braver et al., 2009) will provide needed clarification on this issue.
