From sterile labs to rich VR: Immersive multisensory context critical for odors to induce motivated cleaning behavior

Jasper H B De Groot,Daniel J V Beetsma,Elodie Le Berre,Henk Aarts,Monique A M Smeets,Theo J A Van Aerts,David Gallagher,Emma Shaw

doi:10.3758/s13428-019-01341-y

Jasper H B De Groot, Daniel J V Beetsma + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-019-01341-y

Copy DOI

Abstract

Extending traditional research methods for studying the effects of odor on behavior, this study applied virtual reality (VR) to create a real-world, immersive context that was compared with a traditional sterile, non-immersive lab setting. Using precise odor administration with olfactometry, participants were exposed to three odors (cleaning-related pleasant smell, cleaning-unrelated pleasant smell: vanillin, and odorless air). Our aim was to tease apart whether participants’ motivation to clean was driven by cleaning associations and/or odor pleasantness, and how context would accentuate these effects. The results indeed showed that, in VR only, the cleaning-related smell elicited faster and more energetic cleaning behavior on a custom-designed cleaning task, and faster and more voluminous olfactory sampling compared with controls (vanillin, air). These effects were not driven by odor valence, given the general absence of significant differences between the pleasant control odor vanillin and odorless air. In sum, combining rigorous experimental control with high ecological validity, this research shows the context dependency of (congruent) odors affecting motivated behavior in an immersive context only.

Highlights

Virtual reality (VR) offers a unique experimental tool to bridge the gap between theory and practice
As there were no differences between the pleasant odor vanillin and odorless air on motivated behavior, we argue that rather than being pleasant, odors require a semantic association with cleaning to drive motivated cleaning behavior in an immersive context
Explicit odor intensity and pleasantness were statistically controlled for, and we found no support for the hypothesis that a pleasant odor control drove motivated cleaning behavior

Summary

Introduction

Virtual reality (VR) offers a unique experimental tool to bridge the gap between theory and practice. VR has the distinct advantage of immersing participants in realistic settings that remain under high experimental control, combining the strength of the lab (high internal validity) with the field (high external validity). VR has the potential for solving conflicting evidence in the chemical senses, by merging traditional lines of research performed in sterile lab environments versus in-home settings lacking rigorous control. Separate lines of research have shown that (i) odors can influence human perception, affect, and behavior (e.g., de Groot, Semin, & Smeets, 2017; Holland, Hendriks, & Aarts, 2005); (ii) odor perception can be modulated by context (e.g., de Araujo, Rolls, Velazco, Margot, & Cayeux, 2005); and (iii) the hardware exists to present smells in virtual environments with realistic precision (e.g., Dangelmaier & Blach, 2017). The present study provides a first test in the odor research domain and examines the effects of odor on behavior by applying VR and comparing this with traditional methods of odor research

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion