Experimental analysis of human cigarette smoking behavior.

A laboratory preparation has been developed that permits relatively unobtrusive measurement of naturalistic cigarette smoking behavior in humans. A series of studies is described in which volunteer subjects participated in daily sessions lasting up to 3 h. The first study showed that the intervals between consecutive cigarettes were relatively stable, both within and across sessions. An analysis of puffing for a single cigarette revealed that as the cigarette was smoked, interpuff intervals tended to become longer while puff durations became progressively shorter. The second study showed that cigarette deprivation increased the tendency for subsequent smoking as reflected in latency to smoke and number of cigarettes and puffs. In the third study no change in smoking behavior was detected when subjects were informed that they would subsequently be exposed to a period of cigarette deprivation. The final study demonstrated the responsiveness of cigarette smoking to a form of dose manipulation: decreasing the concentration of tobacco smoke delivered by using ventilated cigarette holders produced increases in the rate of puffing and total numbers of puffs. These studies demonstrate the sensitivity of this preparations and suggest that is may be valuable for exploring a range of pharmacological and behavioral variables that control human cigarette smoking.