From sterile labs to rich VR: Immersive multisensory context critical for odors to induce motivated cleaning behavior

Groot, Jasper H. B. de; Beetsma, Daniel J. V.; Aerts, Theo J. A. van; Berre, Elodie Le; Gallagher, David J.; Shaw, Emma P.; Aarts, Henk; Smeets, Monique A. M.

doi:10.3758/s13428-019-01341-y

Cited by 11 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…To make matters more complex, it should be noted that peoples' semantic scent-associations have been formed and become reactivated in a particular multisensory context. A recent Virtual Reality (VR) study underlined that odors interact in complicated ways with the context in shaping human behavior (de Groot et al, 2020a ). In particular, VR was applied to create a realistic, immersive, yet controlled multisensory context (laundry scenario), which was contrasted with a sterile, non- immersive, traditional lab setting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using a computer-controlled odor delivery device (olfactometer), participants were exposed to three odors: (i) one odor semantically related to cleaning (detergent smell); (ii) one equally pleasant cleaning-unrelated odor (vanillin); and, (iii) no odor (regular room air). Although positive affect may also fuel a person's motivation (Custers and Aarts, 2005 ), the results showed that the pleasant odor vanillin could not enhance a persons' motivation to clean (de Groot et al, 2020a ). Notably, the multisensory context (a VR laundry scenario) and smell (laundry odor) interacted and both were required to fuel motivated and effective cleaning behavior, objectively and subjectively (de Groot et al, 2020a ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although positive affect may also fuel a person's motivation (Custers and Aarts, 2005 ), the results showed that the pleasant odor vanillin could not enhance a persons' motivation to clean (de Groot et al, 2020a ). Notably, the multisensory context (a VR laundry scenario) and smell (laundry odor) interacted and both were required to fuel motivated and effective cleaning behavior, objectively and subjectively (de Groot et al, 2020a ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Smells in Sustainable Environments: The Scented Silk Road to Spending

Groot

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Humanity's demand for ecological resources and services exceeds what earth can regenerate in that year, creating an urgent need for more sustainable behavior. Here, the focus is on a particular factor that so far has been overlooked in facilitating sustainable behavior, namely smell. The two-fold aim of this study was (i) to investigate whether ambient scent could enhance customers' subjective experience and spending behavior in a sustainable environment, and (ii) to elucidate the affective and cognitive pathways from scent to spending. To test this, a double-blind field experiment was designed where customers of a second-hand clothing store (N = 57) could face one of three conditions: fresh linen scent (pleasant and semantically priming “clean clothing” increasing the products' value), vanilla sandalwood scent (pleasant control odor), or regular store odor (odorless control). Buttressed by prior research, the fresh linen scent was expected to cause the strongest increase in spending behavior due to its positive semantic association with the product (i.e., clean clothing). The results indeed showed that fresh linen scent almost doubled consumer spending vs. the odorless control and the pleasant control odor. Other factors potentially affecting consumer behavior (e.g., weekday, weather, odor awareness) were uncorrelated. Whereas a conceptually-driven mediation analysis showed that only fresh linen scent increased mood and evaluations of the store, staff, and products, these variables did not mediate the relation between scent and spending. An explorative structural equation model suggested cognitive priming to be mainly responsible for increasing consumers' spending in the fresh linen condition by enhancing the general store evaluation. Further support is needed to corroborate the indirect findings that specific scents can follow a “cold” semantic road and a “hot” affective road to spending. At minimum, consumers are no “zombies” that empty their pockets in the presence of whatever odor; the smell needs to have a meaningful link to the (sustainable) context at hand to influence consumer behavior.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Smells in Sustainable Environments: The Scented Silk Road to Spending

Groot

2021

Front. Psychol.

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“…The reason is straight forward: the clinically‐derived dataset is insufficient to capture variation in and the breadth and context of human olfaction. Indeed, compared to the traditional lab environment, a virtual reality lab environment found that behavioral responses to odors is context dependent—in the absence of ecological validity, motivated behavior is not observed (de Groot et al, 2020). Field‐based data collection will widen participation beyond current olfactory ability datasets that are comprised of nonrepresentative samples.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field‐testing olfactory ability to understand human olfactory ecology

Hoover

Botescu

Fedurek

et al. 2020

American J Hum Biol

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Objectives: We know little about human olfactory ability in natural settings because current knowledge derives from lab-based studies using nonrepresentative samples of convenience. The primary objective was to use a validated lab tool, the five-item odor identification test, to assess variation in olfactory ability in different environments. Methods: Using the five-item test, we conducted two repeated measures experiments that assessed participant ability to correctly identify an odor source in different odor environments. We also examined consistency in odor labelling due to documented potential bias from idiosyncrasies in odor terms. Results: We found no variation in olfactory ability due to environment, but this may be due to methodological biases. First, subjective bias results from idiosyncratic differences in participant labelling and researcher coding of answer correctness. Second, better ability to learn odors may provide an advantage to women. Third, reducing positive female learning bias by analyzing consistency in response (regardless of correct odor source identification) results in no sex differences but fails to assess the functional aspect of olfactory ability (naming the correct odor source). Fourth, functional olfactory ability is significantly better in women, especially in food-rich odor environments. Conclusions: Environment was not a significant factor in olfactory ability in this study but that result may be confounded by methodological biases. We do not recommend odor identification as a field tool. Functional olfactory ability exhibits a sex-based pattern but consistency in recognizing the same odor does not. Food-rich odors may enhance olfactory ability in females. We discuss evolutionary and ecological implications of superior female functional olfactory ability relative to food foraging activity.

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“…Open queries include: Is the language of smell universal? How much of this communication is modified by context, a powerful moderating factor in olfactory science (e.g., Dalton, 1999;De Araujo et al, 2005;de Groot et al, 2020a)? Can this language be "heard" beyond the thick walls of labs, in noisy field settings?…”

Section: Problem I: Small Scale Slow Speedmentioning

confidence: 99%

More Data, Please: Machine Learning to Advance the Multidisciplinary Science of Human Sociochemistry

2020

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Communication constitutes the core of human life. A large portion of our everyday social interactions is non-verbal. Of the sensory modalities we use for non-verbal communication, olfaction (i.e., the sense of smell) is often considered the most enigmatic medium. Outside of our awareness, smells provide information about our identity, emotions, gender, mate compatibility, illness, and potentially more. Yet, body odors are astonishingly complex, with their composition being influenced by various factors. Is there a chemical basis of olfactory communication? Can we identify molecules predictive of psychological states and traits? We propose that answering these questions requires integrating two disciplines: psychology and chemistry. This new field, coined sociochemistry, faces new challenges emerging from the sheer amount of factors causing variability in chemical composition of body odorants on the one hand (e.g., diet, hygiene, skin bacteria, hormones, genes), and variability in psychological states and traits on the other (e.g., genes, culture, hormones, internal state, context). In past research, the reality of these high-dimensional data has been reduced in an attempt to isolate unidimensional factors in small, homogenous samples under tightly controlled settings. Here, we propose big data approaches to establish novel links between chemical and psychological data on a large scale from heterogeneous samples in ecologically valid settings. This approach would increase our grip on the way chemical signals non-verbally and subconsciously affect our social lives across contexts.

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From sterile labs to rich VR: Immersive multisensory context critical for odors to induce motivated cleaning behavior

Cited by 11 publications

References 59 publications

Smells in Sustainable Environments: The Scented Silk Road to Spending

Smells in Sustainable Environments: The Scented Silk Road to Spending

Field‐testing olfactory ability to understand human olfactory ecology

More Data, Please: Machine Learning to Advance the Multidisciplinary Science of Human Sociochemistry

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