Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Chemosensory alteration of information processing

T S Lorig1, D G Elmes, V L Yoerg

  • 1Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia 24450, USA. tlorig@wlu.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|February 4, 1999
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Isolation of massed- and distributed-practice items.

Memory & cognition·2013
Same author

Isolation of items and the stimulus suffix effect.

Memory & cognition·2013
Same author

The application of electroencephalographic techniques to the study of human olfaction: a review and tutorial.

International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology·2000
Same author

A computer-controlled olfactometer for fMRI and electrophysiological studies of olfaction.

Behavior research methods, instruments, & computers : a journal of the Psychonomic Society, Inc·1999
Same author

On the similarity of odor and language perception.

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews·1999
Same author

Is there an inner nose?

Chemical senses·1998

Odors can impact cognitive tasks differently. This study found that olfactory distractors, unlike auditory ones, affected brain responses (P300 amplitude) more for symbolic tasks than spatial ones.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Sensory Science

Background:

  • Previous studies show mixed effects of odors on cognitive task performance, suggesting potential interference or facilitation.
  • The impact of odors may vary depending on the specific cognitive task being performed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how olfactory distractors differentially affect various types of cognitive tasks.
  • To compare the effects of olfactory versus auditory distractors on cognitive processing.

Main Methods:

  • Twelve participants completed verbal, numeric, and spatial tasks while event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured.
  • Olfactory and auditory (tone) distractors were introduced during task performance.
  • The P300 component of the event-related potential was analyzed in response to task stimuli.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • P300 amplitude varied based on task type and distractor modality.
  • Auditory distractors (tones) elicited consistent P300 amplitudes across all task types.
  • Olfactory distractors led to greater P300 amplitude for symbolic (verbal, numeric) tasks compared to spatial tasks.
  • Reaction times were not significantly affected by the distractor modality.

Conclusions:

  • The modality of a distractor influences cognitive processing, as evidenced by differential effects on P300 amplitude.
  • Olfactory stimuli have a distinct impact on the brain's response to symbolic versus spatial cognitive tasks.
  • Findings suggest that the brain processes olfactory information differently depending on the cognitive demands of the task.