Abstract
In applied olfactory cognition the effects that olfactory stimulation can have on (human) behavior are investigated. To enable an efficient application of olfactory stimuli a model of how they may lead to a change in behavior is proposed. To this end we use the concept of olfactory priming. Olfactory priming may prompt a special view on priming as the olfactory sense has some unique properties which make odors special types of primes. Examples of such properties are the ability of odors to influence our behavior outside of awareness, to lead to strong affective evaluations, to evoke specific memories, and to associate easily and quickly to other environmental stimuli. Opportunities and limitations for using odors as primes are related to these properties, and alternative explanations for reported findings are offered. Implications for olfactory semantic, construal, behavior and goal priming are given based on a brief overview of the priming literature from social psychology and from olfactory perception science. We end by formulating recommendations and ideas for a future research agenda and applications for olfactory priming.
Highlights
Implications for olfactory semantic, construal, behavior and goal priming are given based on a brief overview of the priming literature from social psychology and from olfactory perception science
There is a substantial literature from social cognition on priming, demonstrating the sometimes substantial and unexpected effects that environmental stimuli can have on information processing and behavior
Immediately removing oneself from dangerous situations or rotten food is a behavioral response that is in the interest of avoiding environmental hazards [Stevenson’s (2010) second function of olfaction] and which relates to the primary dimensions of odor such as valence, edibility and familiarity
Summary
There is a substantial literature from social cognition on priming, demonstrating the sometimes substantial and unexpected effects that environmental stimuli can have on information processing and behavior. There is a bountiful literature from the chemical senses community on the effects of olfactory stimuli on perceptual and cognitive processing that could be conceived of as priming research, but is not always discussed within a priming framework. PRIMING IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES Priming refers to the phenomenon that incidental stimuli have been shown to influence higher-order cognitive and behavioral outcomes without the individual’s awareness or appreciation of this influence (Bargh et al, 2010) Such “incidental” priming stimuli can be manipulated in the context of experimental studies to achieve effects in participants in a mere passive, inactive manner. A good example of the latter is an experiment by Cesario et al (2010) in which participants who were in a enclosed booth when primed with a social stereotype of aggression, chose for a www.frontiersin.org
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