A physiological analysis of smoking urges: Imagery, cue-reactivity, and nicotine deprivation
Abstract
This experiment compared imagery and in vivo cue-exposure techniques as methods of manipulating smoking urges in a laboratory setting. Subjects, 100 daily cigarette smokers (50 males, 50 females), attended two experimental sessions separated by an interval of 6 hours. Each experimental session included a two-way within subjects manipulation of trial type in which two levels of urge cues (urge vs. neutral) were completely crossed with two urge induction methods (imagery vs. in vivo) with three presentations of each trial type. Measures taken during each trial included heart rate, skin conductance, finger temperature, corrugator EMG, and zygomatic EMG. Immediately after each trial subjects rated their level of urges, positive and negative affect, and trial vividness. Half of the subjects were assigned to abstain from smoking over the inter-session interval in order to examine the effects of nicotine deprivation on measures of urge reactivity. Results indicated that imagery and in vivo methods were equally effective at eliciting high levels of self-reported urges to urge-relevant material. Physiological responses also discriminated urge-relevant and neutral trials, though the patterns of physiological responding elicited by the two urge induction methods were notably dissimilar. There was little relationship between verbal urge reporting and physiological responding, and several non-physiological measures were predictive of post-trial urge report. The implications of these findings for several urge theories are discussed, and suggestions for further research in this area are provided.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Tiffany, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy|Physiological psychology
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