| dc.description.abstract | Literature Review
Research confirms that parental smoking is a consistent risk factor for an individual’s smoking habits (e.g. Tyas and Pederson, 1998; Biglan, et al., 1995). There has been minimal research exploring the effect a single parent has on an individual (Reynolds et. al., 2009). In 2014, Herrick, Thamothara, Sferra, Lange and Fields explored parental smoking effects on an individual’s impulsivity. In this study we will further explore this topic through gender differences in adult impulsivity.
Thesis Statement
The current research objective is to find gender differences among adult impulsivity related to parental smoking. A secondary objective is to examine the role of parental smoking on adult smoking.
Theoretical Framework
A short self-report questionnaire will be used to collect basic demographic information from each participant. Each participant will also complete the Delay Discounting Questionnaire (Richards et al., 1999). Both of these tasks will be administered through the SONA online testing service and there will be no direct interaction with the participants.
Project Description
The current study will investigate the relationship between parental smoking status and impulsivity (as measured by a delay discounting task) in a random adult population. The study will also investigate whether parental smoking affects an individual's likelihood to smoke. Ultimately, we will compare gender differences in impulsivity among the adult population. In order to do this, we will use a self-report questionnaire and a DDQ assessment. The self-report questionnaire will include gender, age, ethnicity, and parental smoking status. The DDQ will provide the level of impulsivity of each subject.
It is expected that when the father is the only reported smoker, the females will show higher impulsivity than the males. It is also expected that when the mother is the only reported smoker, the males will show higher impulsivity than the females. Furthermore, it is expected that when both parents are reported smokers, males will show higher impulsivity than females. | en |
