Behavioral economic measurement of cigarette demand: A descriptive review of published approaches to the cigarette purchase task.

Derek D. Reed, Gideon P. Naudé, Allyson R. Salzer, Michael Peper, Amalia L. Monroe-Gulick, Brett W. Gelino, Joshua D. Harsin, Rachel N.S. Foster, Tyler D. Nighbor, Brent A. Kaplan, Mikhail N. Koffarnus, Stephen T. Higgins

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

The cigarette purchase task (CPT) is a behavioral economic method for assessing demand for cigarettes. Growing interest in behavioral correlates of tobacco use in clinical and general populations as well as empirical efforts to inform policy has seen an increase in published articles employing the CPT. Accordingly, an examination of the published methods and procedures for obtaining these behavioral economic metrics is timely. The purpose of this investigation was to provide a review of published approaches to using the CPT. We searched specific Boolean operators ([“behavioral economic” AND “purchase task”] OR [“demand” AND “cigarette”]) and identified 49 empirical articles published through the year 2018 that reported administering a CPT. Articles were coded for participant characteristics (e.g., sample size, population type, age), CPT task structure (e.g., price framing, number and sequence of prices; vignettes, contextual factors), and data analytic approach (e.g., method of generating indices of cigarette demand). Results of this review indicate no standard approach to administering the CPT and underscore the need for replicability of these behavioral economic measures for the purpose of guiding clinical and policy decisions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) Public Health Significance—This systematic review describes wide variability in researchers’ published accounts of cigarette purchase task structures for assessing behavioral economic demand for nicotine/tobacco. Although standardized approaches to simulating cigarette purchasing are proposed, research on procedural variations identified in this review is warranted.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)688-705
Number of pages18
JournalExperimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology
Volume28
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2020

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Psychological Association

Keywords

  • behavioral economics
  • cigarettes
  • demand
  • nicotine
  • purchase task

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Pharmacology (medical)

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