Time costs in the demand for cigarettes assessed using the cigarette purchase task-time (CPT-T).

Abstract

Traditional cigarette purchase tasks (CPTs) assess cigarette demand as a function of monetary costs, neglecting the role of time as a cost in consumption decisions. This study introduces the cigarette purchase task-time (CPT-T), a novel measure designed to evaluate cigarette demand as a function of time costs. In Experiment 1, the participants (N = 50) completed the standard CPT with quantitative and probabilistic (CPT-P) response scales across three hypothetical delay conditions. Demand intensity decreased as delays increased, indicating that time functioned as a cost in cigarette consumption. In Experiment 2, the participants (N = 50) completed the CPT-P across three delay conditions and the CPT-T across three monetary conditions. Experiment 2 confirmed that increasing either time and monetary costs reduced demand intensity, breakpoints, and other demand indices, consistent with the law of demand. Experiment 3 evaluated the specificity and discriminant validity of the CPT-T by comparing demand across different reinforcers (cigarettes, potato chips, and toilet paper) between people who smoke (n = 50) and people who do not smoke (n = 50). People who smoke showed higher cigarette demand relative to people who do not smoke. Cigarette demand and toilet paper demand were higher than potato chips among people who smoke, but toilet paper demand was higher than cigarettes and potato chips for people who do not smoke, indicating that people who smoke view cigarettes as more essential. Together, these results showed that time acted as a cost in the demand for reinforcers. The CPT-T captured cigarette demand as a function of time costs and showed specificity and discriminant validity. These results open new theoretical avenues for our understanding of substance use disorders as a reinforcer pathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).