Section IV 
Robinson and colleagues (1982 and 1983) studied the smoking patterns 
of 22 cigarette smokers divided into treatment and control groups, with the 
treatment group switching twice to cigarettes of successively lower nicotine 
yields. Compensation behavior was measured noninvasively (average 
number of daily cigarettes, daily mouth-level nicotine exposure, butt length, 
expired-air CO, and saliva thiocyanate) and invasively (COHb, serum 
cotinine, and plasma thiocyanate). As shown in Figure 4, there were no 
major differences between smokers in treatment and control groups. The 
near-complete compensation was attributed to upward changes in smoking 
intensity, depth of inhalation, and cigarette consumption. In addition, there 
was an observed tendency of smokers of lower delivery cigarettes to smoke 
cigarettes down closer to the overwrap and to block ventilation holes. 
In a different approach, Gritz and colleagues (1983) looked at the puffing 
behavior of eight smokers presented with cigarettes at two and four times 
Figure 4 
Average daily exposure and standardized exposure measures by period for treatment and 
control groups 
Treatment groups Control groups 
Note: Average nominal nicotine deliveries are shown as horizontal lines in Panel H. Abbreviated variable names have 
been used. The increase of “standardized" exposure measure for the treatment group (Panels F and G) during 
period three (P^) does not represent an increase in exposure. The exposure remains fairly constant during the 
entire study, as Panels C and D indicate. Panels F and G illustrate the extent of compensation necessary to 
maintain this constant exposure. See text for details. 
Key: MLE = mouth-level exposure; CO = carbon monoxide. 
Source: Robinson et al., 1982. 
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