Olfactory cuing of autobiographical memory.
Abstract
In Experiment 1, subjects were presented with either the odors or the names of 15
common objects. In Experiment 2, subjects were presented with either the odors, photographs,
or names of 16 common objects. All subjects were asked to describe an autobiographical
memory evoked by each cue, to date each memory, and to rate each memory on vividness,
pleasantness, and the number of times that the memory had been thought of and talked
about prior to the experiment. Compared with memories evoked by photographs or names,
memories evoked by odors were reported to be thought of and talked about less often
prior to the experiment and were more likely to be reported as never having been thought
of or talked about prior to the experiment. No other effects were consistently found,
though there was a suggestion that odors might evoke more pleasant and emotional memories
than other types of cues. The relation of these results to the folklore concerning
olfactory cuing is discussed.
Type
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David C. Rubin
Juanita M. Kreps Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
For .pdfs of all publications click here My main research interest has been in
long-term memory, especially for complex (or "real-world") stimuli. This work includes
the study of autobiographical memory and oral tra

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