Cognitive Approach to Smoking

Question 1

What does the Cognitive Approach emphasis about addiction?

Answer 1

A cognitive view of addiction emphasises habitual ways of thinking and of interpreting events that might lead to the development of addictive behaviour. From this perspective, the development of an addiction does not depend on the properties of the drug or activity alone, but also on the reasons for taking it or engaging in the activity. A person may come to rely on smoking as a way of coping with life’s problems. When these coping mechanisms are used excessively, they may create more problems than they solve

Question 2

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Initiation

How does the Cognitive Approach explain the initiation of smoking behaviour?

Answer 2

The Cognitive Approach believes that addiction arises due to the expectations an individual has about the costs and benefits of an activity

Question 3

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Initiation
Key Studies

Answer 3

Kassel et al 2007

Brandon and Baker 1991

Mermelstein et al 2009

Question 4

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Initiation

Kassel et al 2007

Answer 4

Adolescent smokers commonly report smoking when they are experiencing negative moods (Kassel et al 2007)

Question 5

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Initiation

Brandon and Baker 1991

Answer 5

Adolescent smokers expect that smoking will decrease the intensity of their negative mood
(Brandon and Baker 1991)

Question 6

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Initiation

Mermelstein et al 2009

Answer 6

The expectancy of positive mood states has also been shown to be reasons for adolescents beginning to smoke (Mermelstein et al 2009)

Question 7

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Maintenance

How does the Cognitive Approach explain the maintenance stage of smoking behaviour?

What would this explain?

Answer 7

The Cognitive Approach believes that as an addiction develops, the activity is influenced less by conscious expectancies and more by unconscious expectancies involving automatic processing

This would explain the loss of control that many addicts experience in their addictive behaviour and the difficulties they experience abstaining

Question 8

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Maintenance
Key Studies

Answer 8

Tate et al 1994

Question 9

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Maintenance

This is supported by Tate et al 1994..

Answer 9

This view is supported by Tate et al 1994 who told smokers that they should expect no negative experiences during a period of abstinence. This led to fewer reported somatic effects (e.g. the shakes) and psychological effects (e.g. mood disturbance) than a control group who were not told that they should expect no negative experiences. Those told to expect somatic but not psychological problems later experienced more numerous and more severe somatic complaints than a control group who had not been told to expect this

Question 10

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Relapse

How does the Cognitive Approach explain the relapse of smoking behaviour?

Answer 10

According to the Cognitive Approach, an individual’s expectations of the costs and benefits of smoking affect their readiness to quit and also the likelihood of then relapsing after they have quit

Question 11

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Relapse
Key Studies

Answer 11

DeVires and Backbier 1994

Question 12

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Relapse

This view is supported by DeVires and Backbier 1994..

Answer 12

This view is supported by DeVires and Backbier 1994 who found that smoker’s perceptions of the pros and cons of smoking and of quitting affect their quitting behaviour

Question 13

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Relapse

According to this perspective..

Answer 13

According to this perspective, those individuals who perceive smoking to have many benefits and quitting to have relatively few are the ones most likely to relapse and revert to smoking after embarking on a quit attempt

Question 14

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Evaluation

Support for the relationship between expectancies and relapse
Key Studies

Answer 14

Moolchan et al 2005

Question 15

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Evaluation

Support for the relationship between expectancies and relapse

Answer 15

Moolchan et al 2005 showed that use of nicotine patches could increase cessation rates and reduce relapse but only when accompanied by cognitive behavioural therapy to change the positive expectancies of smoking behaviour

Question 16

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Evaluation

Addiction or excess?

Answer 16

Much of the research relating to expectancy theory is concerned more with excesses of a particular behaviour rather than an addiction to it. Research might focus on problematic behaviour, such as heavy smoking but rarely does it consider ‘loss of control’. Addiction normally involves the individual being unable to control their behaviour, in which case it is not clear what role expectancies might play in this loss of control

Question 17

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Evaluation

Publication bias

Answer 17

As is common in scientific inquiry, the focus of research into expectancy theory has largely been on positive research findings, with negative results receiving far less attention. For example, studies have supported an association between expectancies and addictive behavior. However, this constitutes a publication bias, in that the selective publication of positive results gives an unrepresentative view of a particular research area, particularly when the number of studies published is relatively small, replications are few and contradictory findings are frequent

Question 18

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Evaluation

The importance of expectancies
Key Studies

Answer 18

Juliano and Brandon 2004

Question 19

Cognitive Approach to Smoking
Evaluation

The importance of expectancies

Answer 19

Juliano and Brandon 2004 found that smokers reported greater expectancies that cigarettes alleviate negative mood states and craving and had a positive effect on weight control compared with different forms of nicotine replacement therapy. Therefore, smokers positive expectancies for the effects of smoking do no appear to generalise to nicotine replacement therapy, which might explain its relatively modest success rate for smoking cessation