Nicotine decreases attentional bias to negative-affect-related Stroop words among smokers Journal Article


Authors: Izetelny, A.; Gilbert, D. G.; Hammersley, J.; Radtke, R.; Rabinovich, N. E.; Small, S. L.
Article Title: Nicotine decreases attentional bias to negative-affect-related Stroop words among smokers
Abstract: The present study examined the hypothesis that nicotine is associated with reduced attentional bias to affective and smoking-related stimuli in a modified Stroop task. A total of 56 habitual smokers were each tested on 4 days with 14mg nicotine patches and placebo patches, counterbalanced, as a within-subjects factor in a double-blind design. A modified Stroop using negative-affect words, smoking words, color words, and neutral words was presented via computer in blocked format. As predicted, nicotine, relative to placebo, was associated with decreased attentional bias to negative words. Nicotine speeded performance during smoking-word and color-word blocks to the same degree as during neutral words and thus appeared to also have a nonspecific performance-enhancing effect. In an exploratory analysis, nicotine-attention effects occurred only in the initial presentation of pairs of blocked word pages. Nicotine also was associated with improved mood. The results are discussed in terms of affect-attention and smoking literatures.
Keywords: motivation; anxiety; abstinence; interference; addiction; smoking-cessation; temperament; threat; task; fagerstrom tolerance questionnaire
Journal Title: Nicotine & Tobacco Research
Volume: 10
Issue: 6
ISSN: 1462-2203
Publisher: Oxford University Press  
Date Published: 2008-06-01
Start Page: 1029
End Page: 1036
Language: English
ACCESSION: WOS:000257146400010
DOI: 10.1080/14622200802097514
PROVIDER: wos
PUBMED: 18584466
Notes: --- - Article - "Source: Wos"
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