This study investigated the relationship between lay theories of cigarette smoking and expectations to smoke. An incremental lay theory of smoking entails the belief that smoking behavior can change; an entity theory entails the belief that smoking behavior cannot change. Undergraduate nonsmokers and smokers completed a survey that assessed lay theories of smoking and smoking expectations. Results demonstrated that lay theories of smoking were differentially associated with smoking expectations for nonsmokers and smokers: stronger incremental beliefs were associated with greater expectations of trying smoking for nonsmokers but lower expectations of becoming a regular smoker for smokers. Implications for interventions are discussed.
AronsonJFriedCBGoodC (2002) Reducing the effects of stereotype threat on African American college students by shaping theories of intelligence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology38: 113–125.
2.
BanduraA (1997) Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: Freeman.
3.
BiddleSJHWangCKJChatzisarantisNLD. (2003) Motivation for physical activity in young people: Entity and incremental beliefs about athletic ability. Journal of Sports Sciences21: 973–989.
4.
BlackwellLSTrzesniewskiKHDweckCS (2007) Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. Child Development78(1): 246–263.
5.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2011) Health topic data guide: Smoking status. Available at: http://www.dhds.cdc.gov
6.
CohenJ (1988) Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
7.
CupertinoABergCGajewskiB. (2012) Change in self-efficacy, autonomous and controlled motivation predicting smoking. Journal of Health Psychology17: 640–652.
8.
DeciELRyanRM (1985) Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. New York: Plenum.
9.
DweckCS (2012) Mindsets and human nature: Promoting change in the Middle East, the schoolyard, the racial divide, and willpower. American Psychologist67(8): 614–622.
10.
DweckCSChiuCHongY (1995) Implicit theories and their role in judgments and Reactions: A world from two perspectives. Psychological Inquiry6(4): 267–285.
11.
FestingerL (1957) A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
12.
FinkelEJBurnetteJLScissorsLE (2007) Vengefully ever after: Destiny beliefs, state attachment anxiety, and forgiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology92(5): 8871–8886.
13.
FishbeinMAjzenI (2010) Predicting and Changing Behavior. New York: Psychology Press.
14.
GlockSKovacsCUnzD (2013a) Implicit attitudes toward smoking: How the smell of cigarettes influences responses of college-age smokers and nonsmokers. Journal of Health Psychology. Epub ahead of print 11 March. DOI: 10.1177/1359105313476974.
15.
GlockSMüllerBCNRitterSM (2013b) Warning labels formulated as questions positively influence smoking-related risk perception. Journal of Health Psychology18: 252–262.
16.
GroganSConnerMFryG. (2009) Gender differences in smoking: A longitudinal study of beliefs predicting smoking in 11-15 year olds. Psychology & Health24(3): 301–316.
17.
HarrisJKCohenELWyrwichKW. (2011) Differences in smokers and nonsmokers’ assessments of an educational campaign about tobacco use. Health Education & Behavior38(6): 574–583.
18.
HongYChiuCDweckCS. (1999) Implicit theories, attributions, and coping: A meaning system approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology77(3): 588–599.
19.
IBM (2011) IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
20.
JobVDweckCSWaltonGM (2010) Ego depletion—Is it all in your head? Implicit theories about willpower affect self-regulation. Psychological Science21(11): 1686–1693.
21.
LeeHSCatleyDHarrisKJ (2012) A comparison of autonomous regulation and negative self-evaluative emotions as predictors of smoking behavior change among college students. Journal of Health Psychology17: 600–609.
22.
LimSSVosTFlaxmanAD. (2012) A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet380: 2224–2260.
23.
MyersLB (2013) Changing smokers’ risk perceptions—for better or worse?Journal of Health Psychology. Epub ahead of print 21 January. DOI: 10.1177/1359105312470154.
24.
PomeryEAGibbonsFXReis-BerganM. (2009) From willingness to intention: Experience moderates the shift from reactive to reasoned behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin35(7): 894–908.
25.
RadtkeTScholzUKellerR. (2011) Smoking-specific compensatory health beliefs and the readiness to stop smoking in adolescents. British Journal of Health Psychology16: 610–625.
26.
RigottiNALeeJEWechslerH (2000) U.S. college students’ use of tobacco products: Results of a national survey. Journal of the American Medical Association284(6): 699–705.
27.
RiseJKovacVKraftP. (2008) Predicting the intention to quit smoking and quitting behaviour: Extending the theory of planned behaviour. British Journal of Health Psychology13: 291–310.
28.
SmithBNBeanMKMitchellKS. (2007) Psychosocial factors associated with non-smoking adolescents’ intentions to smoke. Health Education Research22(2): 238–247.
29.
SpinathBSpinathFMRiemannR. (2003) Implicit theories about personality and intelligence and their relationship to actual personality and intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences35(4): 939–951.
30.
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (2012) Preventing tobacco use among youth and young adults. Available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov
31.
VietorNA (2001) Understanding Smoking Relapse from an Implicit Theories Framework. Houston, TX: University of Houston.
