Measurement issues in cigarette smoking research: Basic behavioral and physiological effects and patterns of nicotine self-administration

Measurement issues in cigarette smoking research encompass a heterogeneous body of research questions and strategies. Included are investigations into the types and amounts of tobacco smoke constituents delivered by cigarettes, topographical analysis of puffing behavior, epidemiological studies of smoking behavior, health-related consequences of smoking, and investigations of cigarette smoking behavior. In the studies described in the present paper, two general self-administration strategies are utilized: a cigarette smoking paradigm, and an intravenous nicotine self-administration paradigm. Data collected using these paradigms provide an experimental basis for assessing the role of the multiple factors involved in cigarette smoking. Some of these factors are described below.