title: Imitation of cigarette smoking: an experimental study on smoking in a naturalistic setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Examine whether smokers imitate smoking behaviour of strangers and to what extent this is moderated by the nature of social interactions.
  
  
  METHODS
  An experiment with a three (heavy smoking, light smoking, or no smoking condition) by two (warm versus cold social interaction condition) factorial design. Daily smoking young adults were exposed to same-gender confederates and were observed in a bar laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Smoking and social behaviour were observed and coded during a 30-min break between two tasks, consisting of rating television advertisements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants imitated the smoking behaviour of confederates. After controlling for young people's craving, confederate's smoking explains 35% of the variance in the number of cigarettes smoked. Participants are more likely to smoke and to continue smoking in the warm social interaction condition. Lighting up the first cigarette was affected by confederate's smoking and participant's urges to smoke. Lighting up a second was affected by the heavy smoking condition and warm social interaction condition. Lighting up a third cigarette was affected only by the heavy smoking condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Imitation largely explains why individuals light up a cigarette and continue to smoke.
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. z.harakeh@pwo.ru.nl
authors.forename: Zeena
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Harakeh
authors.forename: Rutger C M E
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Engels
authors.forename: Rick B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Van Baaren
authors.forename: Ron H J
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Scholte
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior