Olfactory imagery: A review

Stevenson, Richard J.; Case, Trevor I.

doi:10.3758/bf03196369

Cited by 115 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 178 publications

(227 reference statements)

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“…A classic response in this regard is to claim that anatomically, olfactory and semantic memory are relatively remote and are sparsely interconnected (see Stevenson & Case, 2005b). However, we know of no data that strongly support this suggestion, and it has been criticized on just such grounds (e.g., Lorig, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although we cannot be sure that participants utilize phenomenal imagery to complete such tasks, studies such as these offer qualified support for the existence of an odor imagery capacity. Second, although there are many reports of failures to obtain imagery effects (see Stevenson & Case, 2005b), it is a characteristic of these null results that participants were never taught to associate the odorant with its verbal (or visual) referent. Third, many participants spontaneously sniff when asked to form an odor image.…”

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confidence: 98%

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Difficulty in evoking odor images: The role of odor naming

2007

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 98%

Difficulty in evoking odor images: The role of odor naming

2007

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“…Evidence for olfactory imagery would be consistent with the notion of an olfactory slave system in working memory. In a review of the olfactory imagery literature, Stevenson and Case (2005) concluded that people can imagine odours, but that they often find it hard to do so without practice. Djordjevic, Zatorre, Petrides, and Jones-Gotman (2004) demonstrated perceptual effects of olfactory imagery similar to those of visual imagery on visual perception (Segal & Fusella, 1971).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for an Olfactory Store in Working Memory?

Andrade

Donaldson

2007

PSYCHOLOGIA -An International Journal of Psychological Sciences

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We tested the hypothesis that olfactory information can be temporarily retained in a modality-specific short-term memory system. The results of two experiments using short-term memory tasks supported this hypothesis. Experiment 1 showed an effect of concurrent odour memory on digit recall that was equivalent to the effect of concurrent visual memory and smaller than that of concurrent verbal memory. Experiment 2 showed a detrimental effect of concurrent odour memory on odour recognition, and no effect of concurrent verbal and visual memory tasks. Based on these findings, and on published evidence for rehearsal and imagery of olfactory information, we tentatively conclude that there is a subsystem in working memory dedicated to temporary maintenance of olfactory information. Key words: olfaction, odor, selective interference, memory loadThis paper contributes to a small body of evidence for a working memory subsystem dedicated to temporary storage of olfactory information. Baddeley (1992, p. 281) has argued that working memory enables us to integrate information from different sensory channels, including smell. Although his model of working memory (Baddeley, 2000(Baddeley, , 1986Baddeley & Hitch, 1974) contains only two modality-specific subsystems-the phonological loop for storing acoustic information and the visuo-spatial sketchpad for storing visual and spatial information-there is scope for adding additional subsystems if supported by empirical evidence. Working memory for olfactory, tactile or taste information has received very little research attention. We used a dual-task methodology to investigate whether short-term memory for odours is functionally independent of shortterm memory for verbal and visuo-spatial information.Most cognitive psychological research into human olfactory memory has focused on whether olfactory memory is intrinsically different from memory in other modalities and whether olfactory memory exists independently of memory for the verbal labels of odours. Olfactory information can be remembered over long periods, as illustrated by the effectiveness of olfactory cues for recalling autobiographical memories (e.g., Aggleton &Waskett, 1999;Chu & Downes, 2000;Herz & Schooler, 2002). Researchers have debated whether this long-term olfactory memory differs in its processing constraints fromWe are grateful to Judith Bek for help with data collection.

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“…However, one major problem of the olfactory sense being a near sense and often relying on our sense of vision to find its source is that potentially what we see may influence our perception of the odours we perceive. A number of research studies [6,69,76] have shown that this is indeed mostly the case.…”

Section: Olfactory Data Issues In Computingmentioning

confidence: 93%

Olfaction-enhanced multimedia: perspectives and challenges

Ghinea

Ademoye

2010

Multimed Tools Appl

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Olfaction-Enhanced MultimediaOlfaction, or smell, is one of the last challenges which multimedia applications have to conquer. As far as computerised smell is concerned, there are several difficulties to overcome, particularly those associated with the ambient nature of smell which causes interference and distortion of olfactory data when used. Nevertheless, there is a growing awareness of potential uses and benefits of olfaction in computing, and particularly in multimedia applications. To this end, we coin the term "Olfaction-enhanced multimedia applications", which we define as combining computer generated smell with other media to enrich the users' experience and perception of a multimedia presentation or application. 2In this paper, we seek to review current developments in the area of olfactory enhanced multimedia applications with a view of highlighting current research gaps, particularly those associated with user perception and experience of olfaction-enhanced multimedia applications. Accordingly, this paper starts by introducing olfaction, the human sense of smell and the psychophysics of it, which is then followed by taking a look at computerised smell and the issues surrounding its usage. Then, we review the literature relating to olfactory enhanced multimedia applications and highlight current research gaps and finally present a summary of research we have carried out in this area.

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Olfactory imagery: A review

Cited by 115 publications

References 178 publications

Difficulty in evoking odor images: The role of odor naming

Difficulty in evoking odor images: The role of odor naming

Evidence for an Olfactory Store in Working Memory?

Olfaction-enhanced multimedia: perspectives and challenges

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