The differential impact of self-monitoring on smoking behavior: an exploratory study

This study investigated the impact of self-monitoring on smoking patterns of internal and external smokers. Eighty-nine Ss charted their smoking behavior (number of cigarettes per day) on a daily basis for 4 consecutive weeks, after which personality measures were administered. Self-monitoring produced wide changes in reported cigarette consumption, although this procedure did not change significantly smoking behavior for the entire sample. Ss were divided arbitrarily into three categories: Ss who increased 20 cigarettes or more, Ss who decreased 20 cigarettes or more, and Ss who increased or decreased up to 19 cigarettes. Negative affect traits, locus of control, and self-concept variables did not differentiate increasers, decreasers, or maintainers. Ss who increased consumption reported greater reinforcement value from solitary related as opposed to socially oriented functions than the decreasers and the maintainers. Future studies should explore the meaningfulness of an intervention designed to improve the smoker's social interactions.