Smoking, advertising, and psychology.

J. D. Matarazzo (see record 1982-25842-001) suggested that the substantial increase in adult female smokers between 1955 and 1979 resulted from advertisements carefully crafted with the help of psychologists. The present author, however, argues that there is a more plausible explanation: During the same period, the substantial educational achievement gap between men and women was eliminated, and the attendant changes in living habits and family structure are more easily linked to the use of tobacco than are the effects of advertising promotion. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)