Implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognitions in heavy and light drinkers.

Abstract

Implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognitions were measured in 2 dimensions: positive-negative (valence) and arousal-sedation, with 2 versions of the Implicit Association Test (IAT; A. G. Greenwald, D. E. McGhee, & J. L. Schwartz) and related explicit measures. Heavy drinkers (n ϭ 24) strongly associated alcohol with arousal on the arousal IAT (especially men) and scored higher on explicit arousal expectancies than light drinkers (n ϭ 24). On the valence IAT, both light and heavy drinkers showed strong negative implicit associations with alcohol that contrasted with their positive explicit judgments (heavy drinkers were more positive). Implicit and explicit cognitions uniquely contributed to the prediction of 1-month prospective drinking. Heavy drinkers' implicit arousal associations could reflect the sensitized psychomotor-activating response to drug cues, a motivational mechanism hypothesized to underlie the etiology of addictive behaviors.

Validation of the Amsterdam Beverage Picture Set: A Controlled Picture Set for Cognitive Bias Measurement and Modification Paradigms

“…A multitude of tasks exist to measure implicit processes in addiction (Field et al., 2004; Wiers et al., 2002, 2009), but relatively little research examined the pictures used in these paradigms. In this paper, we formulate some considerations for valid and effective beverage pictures in general and for CBM in particular.…”

On the predictive validity of automatically activated approach/avoidance tendencies in abstaining alcohol-dependent patients

“…It is now well-established, for example, that substance-related stimuli can grab the user's attention (for a review, see Field and Cox, 2008). It has also been demonstrated that substance-related stimuli can activate valence and arousal associations from memory in an automatic fashion (e.g., Houben et al, 2010;Wiers et al, 2002). Finally, there is also evidence showing that substance-related stimuli can trigger automatic approach/avoidance tendencies (e.g., Palfai and Ostafin, 2003;Ostafin and Palfai, 2006;Wiers et al, 2009).…”

Implicit attitudes to smoking are associated with craving and dependence

“…Measures of automatic cognitive processes may explain some of the variation in addictive behavior beyond that accounted for by measures of controlled processes (e.g., Wiers et al, 2002). The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a widely used task for investigating automatic affective associations in memory.…”

“…In studies that use positive and negative as two concepts (as above), the IAT effect is assumed to capture an implicit attitude, which has been characterized as the automatic associations people have between an object and evaluation (good or bad) (Rudman, 2004). The IAT has been used to investigate associative memory in psychopathology (Gemar et al, 2001;Teachman et al, 2001;Teachman and Woody, 2003), including the addictions (e.g., Palfai and Ostafin, 2003;Wiers et al, 2002;Jajodia and Earleywine, 2003). There is substantial evidence for the reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the IAT (Cunningham et al, 2001).…”