title: Automatic approach bias towards smoking cues is present in smokers but not in ex-smokers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drug-addicted individuals show automatic approach tendencies towards drug-related cues, i.e., an approach bias (ApB). Nevertheless, little is known about ApB in tobacco smokers and about the presence of ApB after smoking abstinence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated ApB to smoking cues in heavy tobacco smokers versus never-smokers and studied its relation to smoking characteristics and craving. Second, we compared ApBs of heavy smokers with biases of abstinent heavy smokers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group of current heavy smokers (n = 24), ex-smokers who were abstinent for at least 5 years (n = 20), and never-smokers (n = 20) took part in the experiment. An indirect smoking approach avoidance task was performed, in which participants were required to respond to pictures of smoking and neutral cues by pulling (approach) or pushing (avoid) on a joystick, according to the content-irrelevant format of the picture (landscape or portrait). Craving scores were examined using the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Heavy smokers showed an ApB for smoking cues compared to ex-smokers and never-smokers, which correlated positively to craving scores. There were no group differences in ApB scores for ex-smokers and never-smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that ApBs for smoking cues are present in heavy smokers and decrease after long-term successful smoking cessation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. corinde.wiers@gmail.com
authors.forename: Corinde E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Wiers
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kühn
authors.forename: Amir Homayoun
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Javadi
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Korucuoglu
authors.forename: Reinout W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Wiers
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gallinat
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bermpohl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires