Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Olfaction

Olfaction

The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...

Attachment

Attachment

Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Guiding Principles From Designing Disability-Inclusive Public Health Curricula.

Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP·2025

Same author

Commentary: Determining Economic Factors That Matter to People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Their Caregivers: A Process Framework.

Medical care·2023

Same author

Exploring the Experiences of Families of Latino Children Newly Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP·2021

Same author

Perceiving the Real World: Infants' Detection of and Memory for Social Information.

Infancy : the official journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·2021

Same author

Parental Concerns of Underserved Young Children at Risk for Autism.

Journal of health care for the poor and underserved·2021

Same author

Validation of the Developmental Check-In Tool for Low-Literacy Autism Screening.

Pediatrics·2020

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 3, 2026

A Lateralized Odor Learning Model in Neonatal Rats for Dissecting Neural Circuitry Underpinning Memory Formation

A Lateralized Odor Learning Model in Neonatal Rats for Dissecting Neural Circuitry Underpinning Memory Formation

Published on: August 18, 2014

Adding odor: Less distress and enhanced attention for 6-month-olds.

Caroline N Coffield¹, Estelle M Y Mayhew², Jeannette M Haviland-Jones²

¹The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, Rutgers - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, United States.

Infant Behavior & Development

|February 18, 2014

Summary

Infant exposure to odors like pine or baby powder enhanced attention and reduced distress. This suggests the sense of smell supports infant mood regulation and cognitive development.

Keywords:

Emotion Infant development Olfaction Visual attention

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Exploring Glial Influence in Experience-Dependent Synaptic Pruning During Critical Periods

Author Spotlight: Exploring Glial Influence in Experience-Dependent Synaptic Pruning During Critical Periods

Published on: March 1, 2024

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants

Published on: September 18, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 3, 2026

A Lateralized Odor Learning Model in Neonatal Rats for Dissecting Neural Circuitry Underpinning Memory Formation

A Lateralized Odor Learning Model in Neonatal Rats for Dissecting Neural Circuitry Underpinning Memory Formation

Published on: August 18, 2014

Author Spotlight: Exploring Glial Influence in Experience-Dependent Synaptic Pruning During Critical Periods

Author Spotlight: Exploring Glial Influence in Experience-Dependent Synaptic Pruning During Critical Periods

Published on: March 1, 2024

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants

Published on: September 18, 2018

Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Neuroscience
Sensory Perception

Background:

The impact of odors on cognitive and emotional functions is well-documented in adults and children.
Research on olfactory effects in infants remains limited, particularly concerning their cognitive and emotional development.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the influence of specific odors on infant attention and emotional expression.
To explore the role of the olfactory system in infant mood regulation and attention maintenance.

Main Methods:

Twenty-seven 6-month-old infants were exposed to either a pine or baby powder odor, or a no-odor control condition.
Infants watched a 92-second audiovisual video of a woman displaying happiness and sadness.
Infant looking time (attention) and emotional expressions (smiling, crying, mouthing) were systematically coded.

Main Results:

Infants in the odor conditions exhibited longer looking times compared to the control group.
The presence of odor was associated with reduced infant crying and mouthing behaviors.
Infants displayed increased smiling behavior when exposed to odors.

Conclusions:

Olfactory stimuli significantly reduced emotional distress and increased attention in 6-month-old infants.
The olfactory sensory system appears to provide crucial cues for mood regulation and attention in early development.
Findings suggest implications for creating optimized infant environments to support emotional health and cognitive growth.