The effects of nicotine dose expectancy and motivationally relevant distracters on vigilance.
The imminence of drug use (i.e., drug availability) has been found to be related to intensity of drug craving, but its effects on attentional bias to drug cues are unclear. This study investigated the effects of nicotine availability on attentional bias to smoking, affective, and neutral cues in a sample of adult smokers during a vigilance task. At the beginning of each of 4 laboratory sessions, overnight nicotine-deprived smokers (n = 51) were instructed that they would smoke a cigarette containing either nicotine (Told-NIC) or no nicotine (Told-DENIC) after completing the rapid visual information processing task with central emotional distracters (RVIP-CED). The RVIP-CED presented digits at a rapid pace, with participants instructed to respond with button presses to every third consecutive even or odd digit. Some digits were preceded by smoking, pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral distracter slides. During Told-NIC conditions, participants produced significantly longer reaction time (RT) latency than during Told-DENIC conditions. RT sensitivity (d'), a measure of the ability to discriminate true positives from false positives, was significantly lower during the Told-NIC than during the Told-DENIC conditions to targets following cigarette distracters. These results suggest that nicotine-deprived smokers expecting to imminently smoke a cigarette experience greater distraction, particularly to smoking-related stimuli, than when expecting to smoke a denicotinized cigarette.
Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Jason D
JD
Robinson
Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Jeffery M
JM
Engelmann
Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Yong
Y
Cui
Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Francesco
F
Versace
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Andrew J
AJ
Waters
Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University.
David G
DG
Gilbert
Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Ellen R
ER
Gritz
Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Paul M
PM
Cinciripini
D000328:Adult; D059031:Anticipation, Psychological; D001143:Arousal; D001288:Attention; D066249:Craving; D003463:Cues; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009538:Nicotine / Q000009:adverse effects; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000009:adverse effects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D062789:Tobacco Products; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009538:Nicotine