Systematic review on Olfaction and Working memory published in Chemical Senses

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A collaboration with Theresa White of Le Moyne College has been published in Chemical Senses. The systematic review A Cognitive Nose? Evaluating Working Memory Benchmarks in the Olfactory Domain sheds light on the operation of Working memory in olfaction and review research spanning the last 50 years.

Highlights:

  • 21 proposed WM benchmarks were assessed for their relevance to olfactory memory.
  • 7 benchmarks were found to apply to the sense of smell.
  • 2 benchmarks did not generalize to olfactory WM.
  • 12 benchmarks still require further research, with some showing mixed support and others unaddressed.

According to ChatGPT: ”The study suggests that olfactory memory shares many similarities with working memory in other senses, though there are distinct differences. It emphasizes the need for future research to expand WM theories beyond visual and auditory senses to better understand how our memory interacts with smells.”

Find it here: https://academic.oup.com/chemse/

New Article – Similarity judgements suggests widespread ability to imagine odors

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A new article from the Lab – Evidence from odor similarity judgments suggests a widespread ability to imagine odors – was just published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance.

In this study, comparisons of similarity judgments between smelled and imagined odors revealed a strong correlation, suggesting that perceptual imagery of odors is possible, with pleasantness serving as a key determinant.

Authors: Stephen Pierzchajlo, Thomas Hörberg, Sandra Challma and Jonas K. Olofsson.

The article can be found here: https://psycnet.apa.org/