Does completing a craving questionnaire promote increased smoking craving?An experimental investigation

The authors evaluated whether completing a multi-item assessment of smoking craving (the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges [QSU]) promoted increases in s moking craving. A sample of 39 regular smokers was randomly assigned to 1 o f 3 manipulations (each of 3 min duration): (a) complete the QSU-Brief (10 items), (b) complete a noncraving questionnaire that was structurally ident ical to the QSU-Brief (scale-based control), and (c) a time-based control. Participants responded to an oral question assessing their degree of cravin g immediately before and after the manipulations, Results indicated that th e QSU did not promote increases in craving compared to the 2 control condit ions. Despite continuing debate over the most appropriate self-report measu re of craving, investigators who use the QSU-Brief can be reasonably sure t hat the scores that result are not biased due to reactivity effects.