Review of The Influence of Tobacco Smoking on Mental and Motor Efficiency

Abstract

Reviews the book, The Influence of Tobacco Smoking on Mental and Motor Efficiency by Clark L. Hull. The author selected the pipe as the medium of experimentation. The method of procedure is empirical. Smokers have been distinguished from non-smokers and interesting parallels have been drawn between the two types of performance. The study is effected by the use of tests designed to show how smoking affects, 1. neuro-muscular processes, 2. sensory motor processes, and 3. higher mental processes. For each group a series of 12 tests is given. In 3 of the 12 forms of behavior investigated, the positive effects of smoking are evident. Two of these are physiological processes (pulse rate and muscular tremor), and the third (addition), a psychological process. The author has proved himself to be both an accomplished statistician and an able investigator. He has dealt with involved data and has succeeded in giving them a lucid presentation. His plan for conducting the inquiry was carefully devised. The data have been fully and capably handled and conclusions have been skillfully and adequately drawn. Had the repeated test been placed not so far apart in the recurring test periods, or had the specific tests been greater in number, the continuum of tobacco effects might have been more adequately presented. Overall, the work is well executed and will undoubtedly take its place in the scientific literature upon the subject. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)