EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AS A FUNCTION OF SMOKING STATE

Twenty female regular smokers were tested in four sessions while performing a 20-min rapid information processing task (RIP) twice. According to a 2 x 2 crossover design they were required to abstain from smoking or not on the mornings before the session and allowed or not allowed to smoke between the two RIP trials. Pre-session abstinence, as compared with non-abstinence, showed the expected withdrawal symptoms in terms of decreased cognitive performance, electrocortical and cardiovascular arousal, increased pre-session anxiety, craving to smoke and ratings of cigarette strength, nausea and dizziness after smoking a cigarette during the session. Smoking during the session, as compared with non-smoking, on the other hand, showed some beneficial effects in terms of increased cognitive performance, electrocortical and cardiovascular arousal. Whereas these effects were antagonistic for most of the assessed parameters, there were also some significant interactions. The increases in processing rate, heart rate and stroke volume and the decreases in finger pulse amplitude, left-ventricular ejection time and state anxiety due to smoking were greater after preceding abstinence than non-abstinence. This reflects the great impact of the acute tolerance to nicotine. Finally, no positive effects of smoking on the RIP-task-induced physiological stress reactions were found, suggesting that smoking as a coping aid is of only restricted value.