EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO CIGARETTE ADVERTISEMENTS ON ADOLESCENTS ATTITUDES TOWARD SMOKING

One hundred seventy-eight adolescents viewed a magazine that either co ntained or did not contain 4 cigarette advertisements, Adolescents who have tried smoking reported more positive attitudes toward smoking. O f the adolescents who have tried smoking, those in the cigarette-adver tisement-present condition expressed more positive attitudes toward sm oking than did those in the cigarette-advertisement-absent condition. Consistent with the prediction that adolescents who have tried (vs. ne ver tried) smoking would attend more to cigarette advertisements, adol escents in the cigarette-advertisement-present condition who have trie d (vs. never tried) smoking correctly recognized more cigarette advert isements. Taken together, these results suggest that adolescents who h ave tried smoking are attending to cigarette advertisements and are im pacted by cigarette advertisements; specifically, cigarette advertisem ents bolster these adolescents' attitudes toward smoking.