title: Reinforcement sensitivity underlying treatment-seeking smokers' affect, smoking reinforcement motives, and affective responses.
abstract: Nicotine dependence has been suggested to be related to reinforcement sensitivity, which encompasses behavioral predispositions either to avoid aversive (behavioral inhibition) or to approach appetitive (behavioral activation) stimuli. Reinforcement sensitivity may shape motives for nicotine use and offer potential targets for personalized smoking cessation therapy. However, little is known regarding how reinforcement sensitivity is related to motivational processes implicated in the maintenance of smoking. Additionally, women and men differ in reinforcement sensitivity, and such difference may cause distinct relationships between reinforcement sensitivity and motivational processes for female and male smokers. In this study, the authors characterized reinforcement sensitivity in relation to affect, smoking-related reinforcement motives, and affective responses, using self-report and psychophysiological measures, in over 200 smokers before treating them. The Behavioral Inhibition/Activation Scales (BIS/BAS; Carver & White, 1994) was used to measure reinforcement sensitivity. In female and male smokers, BIS was similarly associated with negative affect and negative reinforcement of smoking. However, positive affect was positively associated with BAS Drive scores in male smokers, and this association was reversed in female smokers. BIS was positively associated with corrugator electromyographic reactivity toward negative stimuli and left frontal electroencephalogram alpha asymmetry. Female and male smokers showed similar relationships for these physiological measures. These findings suggest that reinforcement sensitivity underpins important motivational processes (e.g., affect), and gender is a moderating factor for these relationships. Future personalized smoking intervention, particularly among more dependent treatment-seeking smokers, may experiment to target individual differences in reinforcement sensitivity. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Jason D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Engelmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Cho Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Minnix
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Maher
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karam-Hage
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: David W
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6366-0108
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wetter
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dani
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Kosten
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Cinciripini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000513:Alpha Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult