Impulsivity and cigarette smoking: delay discounting in current, never, and ex-smokers - Psychopharmacology
- ️Madden, G. J.
- ️Fri Oct 01 1999
We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.
Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.
Abstract
Rationale: Impulsivity is implicated in drug dependence. Recent studies show problems with alcohol and opioid dependence are associated with rapid discounting of the value of delayed outcomes. Furthermore, discounting may be particularly steep for the drug of dependence. Objectives: We determined if these findings could be extended to the behavior of cigarette smokers. In particular, we compared the discounting of hypothetical monetary outcomes by current, never, and ex-smokers of cigarettes. We also examined discounting of delayed hypothetical cigarettes by current smokers. Methods: Current cigarette smokers (n=23), never-smokers (n=22) and ex-smokers (n=21) indicated preference for immediate versus delayed money in a titration procedure that determined indifference points at various delays. The titration procedure was repeated with cigarettes for smokers. The degree to which the delayed outcomes were discounted was estimated with two non-linear decay models: an exponential model and a hyperbolic model. Results: Current smokers discounted the value of delayed money more than did the comparison groups. Never- and ex-smokers did not differ in their discounting of money. For current smokers, delayed cigarettes lost subjective value more rapidly than delayed money. The hyperbolic equation provided better fits to the data than did the exponential equation for 74 out of 89 comparisons. Conclusions: Cigarette smoking, like other forms of drug dependence, is characterized by rapid loss of subjective value for delayed outcomes, particularly for the drug of dependence. Never- and ex-smokers could discount similarly because cigarette smoking is associated with a reversible increase in discounting or due to selection bias.
Access this article
Subscribe and save
- Get 10 units per month
- Download Article/Chapter or eBook
- 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
- Cancel anytime
Buy Now
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.
Instant access to the full article PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, 38 Fletcher Place, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401, USA e-mail: Warren.Bickel@uvm.edu, Fax: +1-802-656-9628, , , , , , US
W. K. Bickel, A. L. Odum & G. J. Madden
Authors
- W. K. Bickel
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
- A. L. Odum
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
- G. J. Madden
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Additional information
Received: 3 March 1999 / Final version: 11 May 1999
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bickel, W., Odum, A. & Madden, G. Impulsivity and cigarette smoking: delay discounting in current, never, and ex-smokers. Psychopharmacology 146, 447–454 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00005490
Issue Date: October 1999
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00005490