Smoking

Dr. Slovic studies judgment and decision processes with an emphasis on decision making under conditions of risk. His work examines fundamental issues such as the influence of affect on judgments and decisions. He also studies the factors that underlie perceptions of risk and attempts to assess the importance of these perceptions for the management of risk in society. His most recent research examines psychological factors contributing to apathy toward genocide. He no longer does classroom teaching but does advise students in their research. For further information visit Dr. Slovic's website: www.decisionresearch.org

About the Contributors PART ONE: INTRODUCTION 1. The Risks of Active and Passive Smoking - J Samet 2. Profile of Smokers and Smoking - P Jamieson and D Romer PART TWO: PERCEPTIONS OF RISKY ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS 3. What Do Young People Think They Know About the Risks of Smoking? - P Jamieson and D Romer 4. The Role of Perceived Risk in Starting and Stopping Smoking - D Romer and P Jamieson 5. Smokers' Recognition of Their Vulnerability to Harm - P Slovic 6. Cigarette Smokers: Rational Actors or Rational Fools? - P Slovic PART THREE: MEDIA INFLUENCE ON SMOKING 7. Advertising, Smoker Imagery, and the Diffusion of Smoking Behavior - D Romer and P Jamieson PART FOUR: ADDICTION 8. The Nature of Nicotine Addiction - N Benowitz 9. A Visceral Account of Addiction - G Loewenstein 10. The Catch 22 of Smoking and Quitting - D Romer, P Jamieson, and R Kirkland Ahern PART FIVE: LEGAL AND POLICY PERSPECTIVES 11. The Joint Failure of Economic Theory and Legal Regulation - J Hanson and D Kysar 12. Tobacco and Public Health Policy: A Youth-Centered Approach - R Bonnie Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C References Index

" This important book reveals why the young start smoking and why, as adults, they regret having started. It is a great contribution to helping end a national epidemic." -- CHERYL HEALTON "This book is a must for everyone concerned about how to address the problem of tobacco use among young people. Virtually all new smokers are children. Many of them are in their early teens and one out of every three children who begin to smoke will die prematurely because of their use of tobacco. This book includes the most objective, thorough and authoritative research to date on the critical question about whether young people fully understand the consequences of their decision to smoke at the time they start and whether they are able to make rational decisions about this vitally important decision. It leaves the reader with no doubt about the value of efforts to better educate our young people and to empower them to resist the lure of tobacco marketing." -- MATTHEW MYERS ". . . Clearly written, well documented, provocative . . . incorporates theory from the fields of psychology, economics, advertising, and communication to challenge popular beliefs about the nature of addiction." -- Diana Hackbarth, RN, PhD