Publication Date

2004

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Valentiner, David P.

Degree Name

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

LCSH

Semantic networks (Information theory); Cigarette smokers--Psychology

Abstract

The current study sought to replicate and extend upon a study by Zwaan and Truitt by examining how well smokers and nonsmokers could inhibit smoking-related and neutral information. The study employed a computer task that was modeled after Gernsbacher, Varner, and Faust's cognitive suppression task. The current study employed both a short (100ms) and long (850ms) delay condition, which are thought to assess the cognitive processes of activation and suppression, respectively. A total of 50 nonsmokers and 51 smokers were recruited for participation in the study. Overall, smokers had relatively more difficulty than nonsmokers inhibiting smoking-related information at both the short and long delay conditions. Nonsmokers did not display any significant difficulties inhibiting smoking information. The two groups did not differ in their ability to inhibit neutral information at either the short or long delay condition. These results are interpreted in terms of smokers developing a semantic network for smoking information, which becomes activated upon exposure to smoking cues and results in smokers experiencing difficulty suppressing smoking-related information.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages 64-69).

Extent

91 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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