The production of smoking urges through an imagery manipulation: Psychophysiological and verbal manifestations

This study examined physiological (heart rate, skin conductance, and finger temperature) responses and self-reported urges elicited by an imagery procedure designed to produce smoking urges. Sixty-six cigarette smokers were instructed to imagine vividly four audiotaped imagery scripts; two of the scripts contained explicit descriptions of smoking urge situations (urge scripts) while the other two were devoid of explicit urge content (neutral scripts). Physiological responses were monitored throughout each imagery trial and subjects rated the vividness of their image and intensity of their urge to smoke at the termination of each trial. Subjects reported significantly stronger urges to urge scripts than to neutral scripts. Urge scripts also produced increases in heart rate and higher tonic skin conductance levels than neutral scripts. These results suggest that the imagery procedure may have considerable potential in the study of the structure and function of drug urges. The theoretical implications of the data are discussed.