Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants
Published on: September 18, 2018
[Influence of odor cueing on the retrieval processes for autobiographical memories]
1Department of Educational Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kansai University, Yamate-cho, Suita 564-8680, Japan. K0hyamamoto@yahoo.co.jp
Abstract:
This study investigated the influence of odor cueing on the retrieval process for autobiographical memories. In Experiment 1, forty two participants were asked to retrieve autobiographical memories in response to a label cue only, or a label cue with a congruent odor cue, or label cue with an incongruent odor cue. The results showed that in the label cue only condition and the incongruent odor cue condition, the latency with a concurrent task was slower than with no concurrent task. However, this was not observed in the congruent odor cue condition. In order to verify the results of Experiment 1, in Experiment 2, twenty participants were investigated with regard to autobiographical memories cued by odors having a high or low rate of identification. The results showed that memories cued by odors with a high rate of identification were retrieved faster. These results suggest that dual processing by odor and label promotes retrieval processes for autobiographical memories.
Related Concept Videos
Autobiographical Memory
Olfaction
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway
The olfactory...
Traumatic Memory
The Influence of Affect on Cognition
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
