Assessment of smoking urge and its concomitants under an environmental smoking cue manipulation

The construct validity of smoking urge was examined through investigation of the effects of an environmental smoking cue manipulation on subjective smoking urge ratings and on the physiological, behavioral and cognitive responses hypothesized to relate to smoking urges. Forty-eight moderate cigarette smokers served as participants. All participants underwent an exposure to smoking cues condition and a nonexposure condition. Order of conditions was counterbalanced across participants. Results indicated that measures of physiological response, cognitions, and behavior vary with urge to smoke. Higher physiological indices and closer association between specific cognitive measures and smoking urges occurred under the cue exposure manipulation. Results were interpreted as preliminary data supporting the construct validity of smoking urge.