The objective of this study is the to assess whether the effect of high school students’ nicotine dependence and behavioral approach and inhibition system affect the attention affect the attention bias toward the induction and aversive stimulus of s...
The objective of this study is the to assess whether the effect of high school students’ nicotine dependence and behavioral approach and inhibition system affect the attention affect the attention bias toward the induction and aversive stimulus of smoking.
69 teenager-subjects (44 smokers and 25 non-smokers) participated in the study. These participants were categorized into three groups. 1) High nicotine dependence group (n=21), 2) low nicotine dependence group (n=23), and 3), and non-nicotine dependence group (n=25) which consisted of non-smokers. Also, The participants were then categorized into four groups according to the behavioral activation system and the behavioral inhibition system. 1) High BAS/BIS group (n=19), 2) high BAS/low BIS group (n=20), 3) low BAS/high BIS group (n=10), and 4) low BAS/BIS group (n=20).
The participants finished four questionnaires that included, a survey on smoking habits, a survey on past smoking experience, a survey for the measurement of nicotine dependence, and Korean version of a survey for the measurement of behavioral activation system and behavioral inhibition system. All the subjects conducted a task on attention bias.
The survey showed that, first, the high nicotine dependence group, the low nicotine dependence group and the non-nicotine dependence group did not show any attention bias from induction stimulus of smoking. Secondly, the low nicotine dependence showed more attention bias from aversive stimulus of smoking than the non-nicotine dependence group or the high nicotine dependence group. Third, the high BAS/low BIS group showed an especially large attention bias from induction stimulus of smoking as compared to than the high BAS/BIS group, low BAS/BIS group or low BAS/high BIS group. Fourth, the low BAS/BIS group showed a greater attention bias from aversive stimulus of smoking when compared to high the BAS/BIS group.
In summary, this study aims to find the effect of nicotine dependence and action motivation system on attention bias towards induction and aversive stimulus of smoking. The results suggest that in order to help prevent smoking by non-smoking high school students, or to help quit smoking, the nicotine dependence, the change of attention process and the action motivation system must be considered. Lastly, the limitations of the experiment and suggestions for further studies will be discussed.