PSY-5 The Nose Smells What the Eyes See: The Effect of a Visual on Olfactory Perception
Abstract
This experiment maintains the goal to understand if a visual can influence olfactory perception, or, if what someone sees may influence what they think they are smelling. Participants smelled jars that were all embossed with floral decorations but contained different smells (e.g., hot sauce, castor oil, old spice deodorant). After smelling each jar, participants filled out a survey based on a Likert scale that determined if the individual agreed that the jar was floral scented. The results indicated that the florally decorated jars made people think that they were smelling something floral as opposed to what they were truly smelling. These results suggest that visuals do influence olfactory perception through a process of priming. Implications of this work highlight the importance of chemical labeling for the safety of employees or individuals working in a laboratory setting.
PSY-5 The Nose Smells What the Eyes See: The Effect of a Visual on Olfactory Perception
University Readiness Center Greatroom
This experiment maintains the goal to understand if a visual can influence olfactory perception, or, if what someone sees may influence what they think they are smelling. Participants smelled jars that were all embossed with floral decorations but contained different smells (e.g., hot sauce, castor oil, old spice deodorant). After smelling each jar, participants filled out a survey based on a Likert scale that determined if the individual agreed that the jar was floral scented. The results indicated that the florally decorated jars made people think that they were smelling something floral as opposed to what they were truly smelling. These results suggest that visuals do influence olfactory perception through a process of priming. Implications of this work highlight the importance of chemical labeling for the safety of employees or individuals working in a laboratory setting.