Psychophysiological Bases of smokers’ Classification System Based on the Amazing Reflection of Tobacco-Related Rates*

Abstract

The psychological and sociocultural factors related to nicotine addiction have been described. This study aims to obtain psychophysiological bases of the Smoker Classification System, starting from the comparison of the startle reflex caused by tobacco-related cues in people with different levels of tobacco consumption. The startle reflex was recorded from a selected sample of 39 participants: 16 men and 23 women aged between 20 and 29 with a mean of 24.36 and standard deviation of 2.88. These participants smoked 5 to 15 cigarettes a day and had been classified using the Smoker Classification System’s evaluation criteria based on questionnaire C4-R in which they were exposed to 21 images from the International Affective Picture System and to a startle sound stimulus of 105 dB. The electromyography of the orbicularis oculi was measured to evaluate the magnitude of the startle reflex. The topography of consumption and the results of the psychophysiological recordings were analyzed using comparative statistics of means through structural equation models. It was concluded that significant differences exist in the degree of physiological implication in all four consumption levels. Finally, the limitations and future directions of this study are analyzed.