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Review
. 2019 Dec:30:42-47.
doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.01.016. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Behavioral economic demand assessments in the addictions

Elizabeth R Aston  1 , Rachel N Cassidy  2
Affiliations
Review

Behavioral economic demand assessments in the addictions

Elizabeth R Aston et al. Curr Opin Psychol. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

Behavioral economics in the addictions is the application of both economics and psychology to study multifaceted components of substance use decision-making behavior. One such component is demand: the relative value of a substance for a user (i.e., the association between drug use and cost). The degree to which a user values a substance can be measured via performance on hypothetical purchase tasks which replicate drug purchase and consumption. Demand has been evaluated across substances, including alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and alternative tobacco products. Recent advances in the study of demand have greatly improved the assessment of drug value, including application to novel products, selection of optimal task unit, assessment of demand in naïve or potential future users, and the importance of instructional set specificity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest

All authors declare that they have no personal or financial conflict of interest.

References

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