TY - JOUR

T1 - Odors enhance visual attention to congruent objects

AU - Seo, Han-Seok

AU - Roidl, Ernst

AU - Müller, Friedrich

AU - Negoias, Simona

PY - 2010/6/1

Y1 - 2010/6/1

N2 - Although it is well known that visual stimuli affect olfactory performance, little is known about the reverse case: the influence of odor on visual performance. This study aimed to determine whether odors can enhance attention towards visually presented objects congruent with the odors. Sixty healthy participants were presented with four odors (orange, lavender, coffee, and liquorice) before and during the presentation of photographic slides containing one congruent and three incongruent objects with the presented odors. The participants' visual attention was assessed as the total number and time of eye fixations by using an eye tracking system. When the participants smelled an odor, they looked more frequently and longer at a corresponding object as compared to the odorless condition. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate for the first time an olfactory priming effect on visual selective attention: odor can increase attention towards a congruent visual object as compared to a non-odor condition.

AB - Although it is well known that visual stimuli affect olfactory performance, little is known about the reverse case: the influence of odor on visual performance. This study aimed to determine whether odors can enhance attention towards visually presented objects congruent with the odors. Sixty healthy participants were presented with four odors (orange, lavender, coffee, and liquorice) before and during the presentation of photographic slides containing one congruent and three incongruent objects with the presented odors. The participants' visual attention was assessed as the total number and time of eye fixations by using an eye tracking system. When the participants smelled an odor, they looked more frequently and longer at a corresponding object as compared to the odorless condition. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate for the first time an olfactory priming effect on visual selective attention: odor can increase attention towards a congruent visual object as compared to a non-odor condition.

KW - Business psychology

KW - Bottom-up

KW - Congruency

KW - Eye tracker

KW - Odor

KW - Olfactory priming

KW - Visual attention

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77953612743&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.appet.2010.02.011

DO - 10.1016/j.appet.2010.02.011

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 20176065

VL - 54

SP - 544

EP - 549

JO - Appetite

JF - Appetite

SN - 0195-6663

IS - 3

ER -