Characteristics of Haptic Peripersonal Spatial Representation of Object Relations

Haptic perception of space is known to show characteristics that are different to actual space. The current study extends on this line of research, investigating whether systematic deviations are also observed in the formation of haptic spatial representations of object-to-object relations. We conducted a haptic spatial reproduction task analogous to the parallelity task with spatial layouts. Three magnets were positioned to form corners of an isosceles triangle and the task of the participant was to reproduce the right angle corner. Weobserved systematic deviations in the reproduction of the right angle triangle. The systematic deviations were not observed when the task was conducted on the mid-sagittal plane. Furthermore, the magnitude of the deviation was decreased when non-informative vision was introduced. These results suggest that there is a deformation in spatial representation of object-to-object relations formed using haptics. However, as no systematic deviation was observed when the task was conducted on the mid-saggital plane, we suggest that the perception of object-to-object relations use a different egocentric reference frame to the perception of orientation

Cognitive facilitation following intentional odor exposure

This paper reviews evidence that, in addition to incidental olfactory pollutants, intentional odor delivery can impact cognitive operations both positively and negatively. Evidence for cognitive facilitation/interference is reviewed alongside four potential explanations for odor-induced effects. It is concluded that the pharmacological properties of odors can induce changes in cognition. However, these effects can be accentuated/attenuated by the shift in mood following odor exposure, expectancy of cognitive effects, and cues to behavior via the contextual association with the odor. It is proposed that greater consideration is required in the intentional utilization of odors within both industrial and private locations, since differential effects are observed for odors with positive hedonic qualities

Molecular complexity determines the number of olfactory notes and the pleasantness of smells

One major unresolved problem in olfaction research is to relate the percept to the molecular structure of stimuli. The present study examined this issue and showed for the first time a quantitative structure-odor relationship in which the more structurally complex a monomolecular odorant, the more numerous the olfactory notes it evokes. Low-complexity odorants were also rated as more aversive, reflecting the fact that low molecular complexity may serve as a warning cue for the olfactory system. Taken together, these findings suggest that molecular complexity provides a framework to explain the subjective experience of smells

Odorant normative data for use in olfactory memory experiments: Dimension selection and analysis of individual differences

The present study reports normative ratings for 200 food and non-food odors. One hundred participants rated odors across measures of verbalisability, perceived descriptive ability,context availability, pleasantness, irritability, intensity, familiarity, frequency, age of acquisition, and complexity. Analysis of the agreement between raters revealed that four dimensions, those of familiarity, intensity, pleasantness, and irritability, have the strongest utility as normative data. The ratings for the remaining dimensions exhibited reduced discriminability across the odor set and should therefore be used with caution. Indeed, these dimensions showed a larger difference between individuals in the ratings of the odors. Familiarity was shown to be related to pleasantness, and a non-linear relationship between pleasantness and intensity was observed which reflects greater intensity for odors that elicit a strong hedonic response. The suitability of these data for use in future olfactory study is considered, and effective implementation of the data for controlling stimuli is discussed

What is a fresh scent in perfumery? Perceptual freshness iscorrelated with substantivity

Perfumes are manufactured by mixing odorous materials with different volatilities. The parameter that measures the lasting property of a material when applied on the skin is called substantivity or tenacity. It is well known by perfumers that citrus and green notes are perceived as fresh and they tend to evaporate quickly, while odors most dissimilar to fresh (e.g., oriental, powdery, erogenic and animalic scents) are tenacious. However, studies aimed at quantifying the relationship between fresh odor quality and substantivity have not received much attention. In this work, perceptual olfactory ratings on a fresh scale, estimated in a previous study, were compared with substantivity parameters and antierogenic ratings from the literature. It was found that the correlation between fresh odor character and odorant substantivity is quite strong (r = −0.85). Fresh is sometimes interpreted in perfumery as cool and the opposite of warm . This association suggests that odor freshness might be somehow related to temperature. Assuming that odor perception space was shaped throughout evolution in temperate climates, results reported here are consistent with the hypothesis that fresh evokes scents typically encountered in the cool season, while warm would be evoked by odors found in nature during summer. This hypothesis is rather simplistic but it may provide a new insight to better understand the perceptual space of scents.Zarzo Castelló, M. (2013). What is a fresh scent in perfumery? Perceptual freshness iscorrelated with substantivity. Sensors. 13(1):463-483. doi:10.3390/s130100463S463483131Zarzo, M., & Stanton, D. T. (2009). Understanding the underlying dimensions in perfumers’ odor perception space as a basis for developing meaningful odor maps. Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 71(2), 225-247. doi:10.3758/app.71.2.225Rudolfi, T. A., Schedrina, M. M., & Mindlin, L. O. (1988). Determination of the evaporation rate of essential oils and perfumery compositions using gas chromatography. Chromatographia, 25(6), 520-522. doi:10.1007/bf02324825Zarzo, M. (2008). Relevant psychological dimensions in the perceptual space of perfumery odors. Food Quality and Preference, 19(3), 315-322. doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2007.10.007Chastrette, M., Laumer, J.-Y. de S., & Sauvegrain, P. (1991). Analysis of a system of description of odors by means of four different multivariate statistical methods. Chemical Senses, 16(1), 81-93. doi:10.1093/chemse/16.1.81The Rosace of Odors (Firmenich, 1972)http://membres.multimania.fr/sensonet/langa/rosace-firmenich.htmlhttp://www.perfumerbook.com/ Scent%20Pyramid.pdfAbe, H., Kanaya, S., Komukai, T., Takahashi, Y., & Sasaki, S. (1990). Systemization of semantic descriptions of odors. Analytica Chimica Acta, 239, 73-85. doi:10.1016/s0003-2670(00)83837-4Chastrette, M., Elmouaffek, A., & Sauvegrain, P. (1988). A multidimensional statistical study of similarities between 74 notes used in perfumery. Chemical Senses, 13(2), 295-305. doi:10.1093/chemse/13.2.295Wise, P. M. (2000). Quantification of Odor Quality. Chemical Senses, 25(4), 429-443. doi:10.1093/chemse/25.4.429Teixeira, M. A., Rodríguez, O., & Rodrigues, A. E. (2010). Perfumery Radar: A Predictive Tool for Perfume Family Classification. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 49(22), 11764-11777. doi:10.1021/ie101161vhttp://www-crnl.univ-lyon1.fr/documentation/olfaction/classification_des_parfums/sommaire.htmZarzo, M. (2011). Hedonic Judgments of Chemical Compounds Are Correlated with Molecular Size. Sensors, 11(4), 3667-3686. doi:10.3390/s110403667Yokoyama, K., & Ebisawa, F. (1993). Detection and evaluation of fragrances by human reactions using a chemical sensor based on adsorbate detection. Analytical Chemistry, 65(6), 673-677. doi:10.1021/ac00054a004Stevenson, R. J., & Boakes, R. A. (2003). A mnemonic theory of odor perception. Psychological Review, 110(2), 340-364. doi:10.1037/0033-295x.110.2.340Ayabe-Kanamura, S., Schicker, I., Laska, M., Hudson, R., Distel, H., Kobayakawa, T., & Saito, S. (1998). Differences in Perception of Everyday Odors: a Japanese-German Cross-cultural Study. Chemical Senses, 23(1), 31-38. doi:10.1093/chemse/23.1.31Chrea, C., Valentin, D., Sulmont-Rossé, C., Ly Mai, H., Hoang Nguyen, D., & Abdi, H. (2004). Culture and odor categorization: agreement between cultures depends upon the odors. Food Quality and Preference, 15(7-8), 669-679. doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2003.10.005Kirk-Smith, M. D., & Booth, D. A. (1987). Chemoreception in human behaviour: experimental analysis of the social effects of fragrances. Chemical Senses, 12(1), 159-166. doi:10.1093/chemse/12.1.159Schaal, B., Marlier, L., & Soussignan, R. (1998). Olfactory function in the human fetus: Evidence from selective neonatal responsiveness to the odor of amniotic fluid. Behavioral Neuroscience, 112(6), 1438-1449. doi:10.1037/0735-7044.112.6.1438Mennella, J. A., Jagnow, C. P., & Beauchamp, G. K. (2001). Prenatal and Postnatal Flavor Learning by Human Infants. PEDIATRICS, 107(6), e88-e88. doi:10.1542/peds.107.6.e88Wallace, K. J., & Rosen, J. B. (2000). Predator odor as an unconditioned fear stimulus in rats: Elicitation of freezing by trimethylthiazoline, a component of fox feces. Behavioral Neuroscience, 114(5), 912-922. doi:10.1037/0735-7044.114.5.912Rossiter, K. J. (1996). Structure−Odor Relationships. Chemical Reviews, 96(8), 3201-3240. doi:10.1021/cr950068aFerdenzi, C., Schirmer, A., Roberts, S. C., Delplanque, S., Porcherot, C., Cayeux, I., … Grandjean, D. (2011). Affective dimensions of odor perception: A comparison between Swiss, British, and Singaporean populations. Emotion, 11(5), 1168-1181. doi:10.1037/a0022853Kobayakawa, K., Kobayakawa, R., Matsumoto, H., Oka, Y., Imai, T., Ikawa, M., … Sakano, H. (2007). Innate versus learned odour processing in the mouse olfactory bulb. Nature, 450(7169), 503-508. doi:10.1038/nature06281Chrea, C., Grandjean, D., Delplanque, S., Cayeux, I., Le Calve, B., Aymard, L., … Scherer, K. R. (2008). Mapping the Semantic Space for the Subjective Experience of Emotional Responses to Odors. Chemical Senses, 34(1), 49-62. doi:10.1093/chemse/bjn052PROST, C., GUEN, S. L., COURCOUX, P., & DEMAIMAY, M. (2001). SIMILARITIES AMONG 40 PURE ODORANT COMPOUNDS EVALUATED BY CONSUMERS. Journal of Sensory Studies, 16(6), 551-565. doi:10.1111/j.1745-459x.2001.tb00320.xSCHIFFMAN, S., ROBINSON, D. E., & ERICKSON, R. P. (1977). MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING OF ODORANTS: EXAMINATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL DIMENSIONS. Chemical Senses, 2(3), 375-390. doi:10.1093/chemse/2.3.375HARPER, R. (1975). SOME CHEMICALS REPRESENTING PARTICULAR ODOUR QUALITIES. Chemical Senses, 1(3), 353-357. doi:10.1093/chemse/1.3.353Stoddart, D. M. (1986). The Role of Olfaction in the Evolution of Human Sexual Biology: An Hypothesis. Man, 21(3), 514. doi:10.2307/2803099Ou, L.-C., Ronnier Luo, M., Sun, P.-L., Hu, N.-C., Chen, H.-S., Guan, S.-S., … Richter, K. (2010). A cross-cultural comparison of colour emotion for two-colour combinations. Color Research & Application, 37(1), 23-43. doi:10.1002/col.2064

Cross-cultural color-odor associations

Colors and odors are associated; for instance, people typically match the smell of strawberries to the color pink or red. These associations are forms of crossmodal correspondences. Recently, there has been discussion about the extent to which these correspondences arise for structural reasons (i.e., an inherent mapping between color and odor), statistical reasons (i.e., covariance in experience), and/or semantically-mediated reasons (i.e., stemming from language). The present study probed this question by testing color-odor correspondences in 6 different cultural groups (Dutch, Netherlands-residing-Chinese, German, Malay, Malaysian-Chinese, and US residents), using the same set of 14 odors and asking participants to make congruent and incongruent color choices for each odor. We found consistent patterns in color choices for each odor within each culture, showing that participants were making non-random color-odor matches. We used representational dissimilarity analysis to probe for variations in the patterns of color-odor associations across cultures; we found that US and German participants had the most similar patterns of associations, followed by German and Malay participants. The largest group differences were between Malay and Netherlands-resident Chinese participants and between Dutch and Malaysian-Chinese participants. We conclude that culture plays a role in color-odor crossmodal associations, which likely arise, at least in part, through experience

Semantic Knowledge Influences Prewired Hedonic Responses to Odors

Background Odor hedonic perception relies on decoding the physicochemical properties of odorant molecules and can be influenced in humans by semantic knowledge. The effect of semantic knowledge on such prewired hedonic processing over the life span has remained unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings The present study measured hedonic response to odors in different age groups (children, teenagers, young adults, and seniors) and found that children and seniors, two age groups characterized by either low level of (children) or weak access to (seniors) odor semantic knowledge, processed odor hedonics more on the basis of their physicochemical properties. In contrast, in teenagers and young adults, who show better levels of semantic odor representation, the role of physicochemical properties was less marked. Conclusions/Significance These findings demonstrate for the first time that the biological determinants that make an odor pleasant or unpleasant are more powerful at either end of the life span

An Exception to Mental Simulation : No Evidence for Embodied Odor Language

Do we mentally simulate olfactory information? We investigated mental simulation of odors and sounds in two experiments. Participants retained a word while they smelled an odor or heard a sound, then rated odor/sound intensity and recalled the word. Later odor/sound recognition was also tested, and pleasantness and familiarity judgments were collected. Word recall was slower when the sound and sound-word mismatched (e.g., bee sound with the word typhoon). Sound recognition was higher when sounds were paired with a match or near-match word (e.g., bee sound with bee or buzzer). This indicates sound-words are mentally simulated. However, using the same paradigm no memory effects were observed for odor. Instead it appears odor-words only affect lexical-semantic representations, demonstrated by higher ratings of odor intensity and pleasantness when an odor was paired with a match or near-match word (e.g., peach odor with peach or mango). These results suggest fundamental differences in how odor and sound-words are represented

Psycholinguistic variables matter in odor naming

People from Western societies generally find it difficult to name odors. In trying to explain this, the olfactory literature has proposed several theories that focus heavily on properties of the odor itself but rarely discuss properties of the label used to describe it. However, recent studies show speakers of languages with dedicated smell lexicons can name odors with relative ease. Has the role of the lexicon been overlooked in the olfactory literature? Word production studies show properties of the label, such as word frequency and semantic context, influence naming; but this field of research focuses heavily on the visual domain. The current study combines methods from both fields to investigate word production for olfaction in two experiments. In the first experiment, participants named odors whose veridical labels were either high-frequency or low-frequency words in Dutch, and we found that odors with high-frequency labels were named correctly more often. In the second experiment, edibility was used for manipulating semantic context in search of a semantic interference effect, presenting the odors in blocks of edible and inedible odor source objects to half of the participants. While no evidence was found for a semantic interference effect, an effect of word frequency was again present. Our results demonstrate psycholinguistic variables-such as word frequency-are relevant for olfactory naming, and may, in part, explain why it is difficult to name odors in certain languages. Olfactory researchers cannot afford to ignore properties of an odor's label