title: The effect of smoking on sensory and attentional masking.
abstract: This study examined the influence of smoking on low-level sensory and higher level visual cognitive abilities. Three groups (nonsmokers, deprived smokers, and nondeprived smokers) of 22 observers were tested using a visual target discrimination task. To assess sensory and visual cognitive differences, a masking task developed by Enns and Di Lollo (1997) was used. In the task, the target was masked by either a contour mask (contour masking) or an object mask (attentional masking by object substitution). The strongest masking effects were found in the group of nondeprived smokers, for both sensory and attentional masking. This pattern of results as well as results in the deprived smokers indicated changes in transient visual processing channels due to the acute actions of nicotine, not mediated by withdrawal relief.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence 66045, USA. patchley@ku.edu
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Atchley
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grobe
authors.forename: Lacy M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Fields
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000187:drug effects*; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine