Aversive and cognitive factors in the modification of smoking behaviour

This study investigated the role of verbalization and behavioural rehearsal procedures in an aversive conditioning behaviour therapy for smokers. Experimental conditions, contrasted with an insight control condition, featured combinations of overt or covert verbalizations describing the smoking act and the use or omission of behavioural rehearsal of the smoking act concomitant to an avoidance conditioning procedure. Substantial improvement was obtained, and continued in the follow-up, from a particular combination of behavioural rehearsal and covert verbalization. In this condition Ss were trained to smoke a cigarette while imagining themselves to be in a social situation, and while making a sub-voca description of their smoking behaviour. These results have led to the speculation that the manipulation of covert events and behavioural rehearsal of the deviant act may be important adjuncts of the aversive paradigm by virtue of the greater generalizability of the self-generated cues to extra-therapy situations.