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Does Watching Others Smoke Increase Smoking?
Author(s) -
Surawy Christina,
Stepney Rob,
Cox Tom
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
british journal of addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0952-0481
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1985.tb03273.x
Subject(s) - boredom , arousal , stimulant , psychology , smoke , anxiety , sedative , audiology , social psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , medicine , physics , meteorology
Summary Response to social cues was studied in two groups of smokers; 14 sedative smokers, who report smoking predominatly under high arousal conditions e.g. anxiety, and 14 stimulant smokers, whose ‘need’ to smoke is greatest under low arousal conditions e.g. boredom. The smoking behaviour of each group was studied in two experimental conditions, during which subjects watched one of two 30 minute video films. The videos were similar apart from the presence of clips of people smoking in one of the films. Seeing people smoke on the video significantly increased smoking rate and intensity in stimulant smokers only. This finding suggests that establishing the precise cues to which different kinds of smokers respond is important in broadening our understanding of the theoretical distinctions made between smokers.