Comparison of behavior modification approaches to smoking reduction.

Compared 2 experimental treatments for the modification of cigarette smoking with 2 control conditions, using a refined methodology for collecting daily smoking records and providing for an examination of therapist effects. 65 undergraduates served as Ss. The 1st experimental treatment employed a stimulus satiation technique in which Ss smoked 3 cigarettes on each smoking occasion. The 2nd, a hierarchy approach, involved gradual reduction beginning with the period of the day judged easiest for relinquishing cigarettes. In 1 control treatment, Ss used a pill designed to coat the mouth to make cigarettes aversive; the other control groups were instructed to quit entirely. Each of the 4 conditions showed its own characteristic reduction curve and all reduced to a mean level below 25% of base. There was a significant effect of therapist during treatment, but none at 6-mo follow-up by which time all groups had shown a considerable relapse. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)