Protocol - Behavior Economics/Purchase Behavior
Description
The Cigarette Purchase Task (CPT) is a simulation procedure to assess reinforcement efficacy of cigarettes within a specific context. The CPT came from an adaptation of a progressive-ratio operant schedule, and early studies were a bit literal in the use of doubling response requirements, up to prices that were not plausible in the current market. Subsequent studies have involved using different prices to find the right balance of precision and comprehensiveness (see General References).
Specific Instructions
Current smoking status must be ascertained before implementing this protocol. Proceed only if a respondent currently smokes cigarettes.
The Content Expert Panel suggests investigators consider nicotine as derived from any source, including both natural and synthetic, when administering this protocol.
The Content Expert Panel recommends investigators substitute people-first language (i.e. replace behavior-based labels such as "smoker" with "people who smoke") as outlined in Hefler, M. et al 2023, which may differ from the original protocol text.
Availability
This protocol is freely available; permission not required for use.
Protocol
Read to participant:
CPT - State assessment: Imagine that you could smoke RIGHT NOW. The following questions ask how many cigarettes you would consume if they cost various amounts of money. Assume the available cigarettes are your favorite brand. Assume that you have the same income/savings that you have now and NO ACCESS to any cigarettes or other nicotine products. In addition, assume that you cannot save or stockpile cigarettes for a later date.
Be sure to consider each price increment carefully.
| 1. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | FREE? | [$0/pack] |
| 2. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | 1¢ each? | [20¢/pack] |
| 3. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | 5¢ each? | [$1/pack] |
| 4. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | 13¢ each? | [$2.60/pack] |
| 5. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | 25¢ each? | [$5.00/pack] |
| 6. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | 50¢ each? | [$10/pack] |
| 7. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $1 each? | [$20/pack] |
| 8. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $2 each? | [$40/pack] |
| 9. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $3 each? | [$60/pack] |
| 10. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $4 each? | [$80/pack] |
| 11. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $5 each? | [$100/pack] |
| 12. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $6 each? | [$120/pack] |
| 13. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $11 each? | [$220/pack] |
| 14. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $35 each? | [$700/pack] |
| 15. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $70 each? | [$1,400/pack] |
| 16. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $140 each? | [$2,800/pack] |
| 17. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $280 each? | [$5,600/pack] |
| 18. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $560 each? | [$11,200/pack] |
| 19. How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT NOW if they were | $1,120? | [$22,400/pack] |
CPT - Trait assessment: Think about a TYPICAL DAY. The following questions ask how many cigarettes you would consume if they cost various amounts of money. Assume the available cigarettes are your favorite brand. Assume that you have the same income/savings that you have now and NO ACCESS to any cigarettes or nicotine products other than those offered at these prices. In addition, assume that you would consume cigarettes that you request at this time. You cannot save or stockpile cigarettes for a later date. Be sure to consider each price increment carefully.
| 1. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | FREE? | [$0/pack] |
| 2. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | 1¢ each? | [20¢/pack] |
| 3. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | 5¢ each? | [$1/pack] |
| 4. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | 13¢ each? | [$2.60/pack] |
| 5. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | 25¢ each? | [$5/pack] |
| 6. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | 50¢ each? | [$10/pack] |
| 7. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $1 each? | [$20/pack] |
| 8. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $2 each? | [$40/pack] |
| 9. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $3 each? | [$60/pack] |
| 10. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $4 each? | [$80/pack] |
| 11. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $5 each? | [$100/pack] |
| 12. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $6 each? | [$120/pack] |
| 13. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $11 each? | [$220/pack] |
| 14. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $35 each? | [$700/pack] |
| 15. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $70 each? | [$1,400/pack] |
| 16. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $140each? | [$2,800/pack] |
| 17. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $280each? | [$5,600/pack] |
| 18. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $560each? | [$11,200/pack] |
| 19. How many cigarettes would you smoke on a typical day if they were | $1,120each | [$22,400/pack] |
For adolescents, alternate prices can be considered: Estimated cigarette consumption was assessed at $0.00, $0.01, $0.05, $0.13, $0.25, $0.50, $1.00, $1.50, $2.00, $2.50, $3.00, $4.00, $5.00, $6.00, $7.00, $8.00, $9.00, $11.00, $35.00, $70.00, $140.00, $280.00, $560.00, and $1,120.00 per cigarette.
"The CPT data can generate five demand indices:
1. breakpoint (first price at which cigarette consumption is zero;
2. demand intensity (cigarette consumption at the lowest price);
3. Omax (output maximum, or maximum financial expenditure on cigarettes);
4. Pmax (price maximum, or price at which expenditure is maximized); and
5. elasticity of demand (sensitivity of cigarette consumption to increases in cost). To generate an estimate of elasticity, demand curves were estimated by fitting each participant’s reported consumption across the range of prices to Hursh and Silberberg’s (2008) exponential demand curve equation: ln Q: = lnQ0 + k(e−αP −1), in which Q is the quantity consumed, k specifies the range of the dependent variable (cigarette consumption) in logarithmic units, and α specifies the rate of change in consumption with changes in price (elasticity). The value of k (3.5 in natural log units in the present study, based on the best fit with the sample mean consumption values) is constant across all curve fits. Individual differences in elasticity are thereby scaled with a single parameter (α) which is standardized and independent of reinforcer magnitude. Larger α values reflect greater price sensitivity (elasticity). Demand curves were fit according to the Hursh and Silberberg (2008) guidelines using the calculator provided on the Institute for Behavioral Resources website. This nonlinear regression was used to generate an R2 value, reflecting percentage of variance accounted for by the equation. Consistent with Jacobs and Bickel (1999), when fitting the demand curve data, the first zero consumption value (i.e., breakpoint) was replaced by an arbitrarily low but nonzero value of .001, which is necessary for the logarithmic transformations. We did not include subsequent 0 consumption values in our curve estimates." Taken from Murphy et al. (2011).
Personnel and Training Required
None
Equipment Needs
None
Requirements
| Requirement Category | Required |
|---|---|
| Major equipment | No |
| Specialized training | No |
| Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection | No |
| Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual | No |
Mode of Administration
Self-administered questionnaire
Lifestage
Adolescent, Adult
Participants
Individuals who currently smoke cigarettes ages 14 and up
Selection Rationale
The Cigarette Purchase Task (CPT) is a time- and cost-efficient assessment of cigarette value. It has good reliability and test-retest stability. It is related to dependence and cigarettes per day and has been validated with adolescents. Behavioral economics and purchase behavior are primary outcomes of tobacco regulatory research and can be used to assess the abuse liability of tobacco products.
Language
English
Standards
| Standard | Name | ID | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Phenotype Ontology | Addictive behavior | HP:0030858 | HPO |
| caDSR Form | PhenX PX710401 - Behavior Economics Purchase Behavior | 6237875 | caDSR Form |
Derived Variables
None
Process and Review
The Tobacco Regulatory Research (TRR) Content Expert Panel (CEP) reviewed the measures in the Tobacco Regulatory Research collection in February 2024.
Guidance from the TRR CEP includes:
- Updated Specific Instructions and General References
Back-compatible: no changes to Data Dictionary
Previous version in Toolkit archive (link)
Protocol Name from Source
The Cigarette Purchase Task (CPT)
Source
Few, L. R., Acker, J., Murphy, C., & MacKillop, J. (2012). Temporal stability of a cigarette purchase task. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 14, 761-765.
Hursh, S. R., & Silberberg, A. (2008). Economic demand and essential value. Psychological Review, 115, 186-198.
Murphy, J. G., MacKillop, J., Tidey, J. W., Brazil, L. A., & Colby, S. M. (2011). Validity of a demand curve measure of nicotine reinforcement with adolescent smokers. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 113, 207-214.
General References
Chase, H. W., MacKillop, J., & Hogarth, L. (2013). Isolating behavioral economic indices of demand in relation to nicotine dependence. Psychopharmacology, 226, 371-380.
Hefler, M., Durkin, S.J., Cohen, J.E., Henriksen, L., OConnor, R., Barnoya, J., Hill, S.E. and Malone, R.E., 2023. New policy of people-first language to replace ‘smoker’, ‘vaper’, ‘ tobacco user’ and other behaviour-based labels. Tobacco control, 32(2), pp.133-134.
Jacobs, E. A., & Bickel, W. K. (1999). Modeling drug consumption in the clinic using simulation procedures: Demand for heroin and cigarettes in opioid-dependent outpatients. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. 7, 412-426. doi:10.1037/1064-1297.7.4.412.
Liao, W., Luo, X., Le, C. T., Chu, H., Epstein, L. H., Yu, J., Ahluwalia, J. S., & Thomas, S. L. (2013). Analysis of cigarette purchase task instrument data with a left-censored mixed effects model. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 21, 124-132.
MacKillop, J., Brown, C. L., Stojek, M. K, Murphy, C. M., Sweet, L, & Niaura, R. (2012). Behavioral economic analysis of withdrawal- and cue-elicited craving for tobacco: An initial investigation. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 12, 1426-1434.
J MacKillop, J.G. Murphy, L.A. Ray, D.T. Eisenberg, S.A. Lisman, D.S. Wilson. Further validation of a cigarette purchase task for assessing the relative reinforcing efficacy of nicotine in college smokers. Exp. Clin. Psychopharmacol., 16 (1) (2008), pp. 57-65, doi:10.1037/1064-297.16.1.57.PMID: 18266552.
Nighbor TD, Coleman SRM, Bunn JY, DeSarno MJ, Morehead AL, Tang KJ, Keith DR, Plucinski ST, Kurti AN, Zvorsky I, Higgins ST. Using the Cigarette Purchase Task to examine the relative reinforcing value of cigarettes among mothers with versus without opioid dependence. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2020 Dec;28(6):706-713. doi: 10.1037/pha0000353. Epub 2020 Feb 27. PMID: 32105135; PMCID: PMC7483168.
Stephen T. Higgins, Tyler G. Erath, Michael DeSarno, Derek D. Reed, Diann E. Gaalema, Stacey C. Sigmon, Sarah H. Heil, Jennifer W. Tidey, Leveraging the cigarette purchase task to understand relationships between cumulative vulnerabilities, the relative reinforcing effects of smoking, and response to reduced nicotine content cigarettes, Preventive Medicine, Volume 165, Part B, 2022, 107206,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107206.
Geboers C, Shang C, Nagelhout GE, de Vries H, van den Putte B, Fong GT, Candel MJJM, Willemsen MC. Demand for Factory-Made Cigarettes and Roll-Your-Own Tobacco and Differences Between Age and Socioeconomic Groups: Findings From the International Tobacco Control Netherlands Survey. Nicotine Tob Res. 2022 Mar 1;24(4):529-535. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntab220. PMID: 35231115; PMCID: PMC8887592.
Protocol ID
710401
Variables
Export Variables| Variable Name | Variable ID | Variable Description | dbGaP Mapping | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_0 | ||||
| PX710401010000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_1120Dollar | ||||
| PX710401190000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_11Dollar | ||||
| PX710401130000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_13cents | ||||
| PX710401040000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_140Dollar | ||||
| PX710401160000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_1cent | ||||
| PX710401020000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_1Dollar | ||||
| PX710401070000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_25cents | ||||
| PX710401050000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_280Dollar | ||||
| PX710401170000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_2Dollar | ||||
| PX710401080000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_35Dollar | ||||
| PX710401140000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_3Dollar | ||||
| PX710401090000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_4Dollar | ||||
| PX710401100000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_50cents | ||||
| PX710401060000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_560Dollar | ||||
| PX710401180000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_5cents | ||||
| PX710401030000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_5Dollar | ||||
| PX710401110000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_6Dollar | ||||
| PX71040112000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Right_Now_Cig_Smoke_70Dollar | ||||
| PX710401150000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke RIGHT more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_0 | ||||
| PX710401200000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_1120Dollar | ||||
| PX710401380000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_11Dollar | ||||
| PX710401320000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_13cents | ||||
| PX710401230000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_140Dollar | ||||
| PX710401350000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_1cent | ||||
| PX710401210000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_1Dollar | ||||
| PX710401260000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_25cents | ||||
| PX710401240000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_280Dollar | ||||
| PX710401360000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_2Dollar | ||||
| PX710401270000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_35Dollar | ||||
| PX710401330000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_3Dollar | ||||
| PX710401280000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_4Dollar | ||||
| PX710401290000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_50cents | ||||
| PX710401250000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_560Dollar | ||||
| PX710401370000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_5cents | ||||
| PX710401220000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_5Dollar | ||||
| PX710401300000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_6Dollar | ||||
| PX710401310000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
| PX710401_Typical_Day_Cig_Smoke_70Dollar | ||||
| PX710401340000 | How many cigarettes would you smoke in a more | N/A | ||
Measure Name
Behavior Economics/Purchase Behavior
Release Date
February 20, 2015
Definition
This assessment establishes the value of a product and related purchase behaviors, including the point at which the cost (i.e. in money, time) exceeds the user’s willingness to pay to use the cigarettes or other nicotine products; the rewarding value of the product.
Purpose
To assess the relative reward value or reinforcing efficacy of a tobacco product to a user through a purchase task.
Keywords
Cigarette purchase task, behavioral economics, cigarette value, purchase behavior, reward value
Measure Protocols
| Protocol ID | Protocol Name |
|---|---|
| 710401 | Behavior Economics/Purchase Behavior |