?A good odour to breathe?? The effect of pleasant ambient odour on human visual vigilance

Abstract

The present study examined the e}ect of an alerting and a relaxing odour on human visual vigilance[ Three groups of undergraduates "N 43# completed a sustained visual vigilance task which required them to respond whenever a target stimulus appeared on a computer monitor[ One group completed the task in the presence of an alerting odour "peppermint#\ another did so in the presence of a relaxing odour "bergamot# and a third group completed the task in an unscented environment[ A 1×2×1 "sex×odour×diurnal preference# MANOVA was per! formed in order to determine group di}erences in response times and number of correct detections[ Participants in the bergamot condition detected fewer targets correctly within 0[14 seconds of the target appearing than did those in the peppermint or no!odour groups[ Exposure to bergamot was also associated with signi_cantly fewer correct detections in the second than in the _rst half of the task\ when compared with the other two conditions[ The results suggest that sustained exposure to a relaxing odour can impair visual vigilance[

Preliminary investigation of the effect of peppermint oil on an objective measure of daytime sleepiness

“…This was further supported by EEG studies showing that presentation of peppermint oil could lead to and increased ability to sustain attention . However, using a visual vigilance task, Gould and Martin (2001) found that there was a significant effect of bergamot (a relaxing odour) on task performance, with participants detecting fewer targets, but there was no effect of peppermint.…”

Preliminary investigation of the effect of peppermint oil on an objective measure of daytime sleepiness

“…This was further supported by EEG studies showing that presentation of peppermint oil could lead to and increased ability to sustain attention . However, using a visual vigilance task, Gould and Martin (2001) found that there was a significant effect of bergamot (a relaxing odour) on task performance, with participants detecting fewer targets, but there was no effect of peppermint.…”

The “smellscape” of mother's breast: Effects of odor masking and selective unmasking on neonatal arousal, oral, and visual responses

“…This olfactory-visual interaction is revealed first by longer cumulative duration of eye opening in odorous breast trials. Such an effect may be explained either by the facts (1) that odors in general may be moderately arousing and hence stimulate all-purpose sensory, including visual, seeking activity (as indicated by research in adults; e.g., Gould & Martin, 2001;Ilmberger et al, 2001;Lorig et al, 1991;Spence et al, 2001), (2) that given odors are already associated with expectancies for visual/auditory/tactile reinforcements, hence triggering multimodal intake of information (e.g., Korner & Thoman, 1970), or (3) that breast odor is part of a whole activity pattern recruiting vision and touch to boost the localization of a nipple. This latter point is backed by the second aspect of olfacto-visual interaction observed here, namely that being exposed to breast odor with open eyes leads to improved oral activity in calm-to-active infants.…”

Working memory performance and exposure to pleasant and unpleasant ambient odor: Is spatial span special?

“……”

Preliminary investigation of the effect of peppermint oil on an objective measure of daytime sleepiness

“…This was further supported by EEG studies showing that presentation of peppermint oil could lead to and increased ability to sustain attention . However, using a visual vigilance task, Gould and Martin (2001) found that there was a significant effect of bergamot (a relaxing odour) on task performance, with participants detecting fewer targets, but there was no effect of peppermint.…”

The “smellscape” of mother's breast: Effects of odor masking and selective unmasking on neonatal arousal, oral, and visual responses

“…This olfactory-visual interaction is revealed first by longer cumulative duration of eye opening in odorous breast trials. Such an effect may be explained either by the facts (1) that odors in general may be moderately arousing and hence stimulate all-purpose sensory, including visual, seeking activity (as indicated by research in adults; e.g., Gould & Martin, 2001;Ilmberger et al, 2001;Lorig et al, 1991;Spence et al, 2001), (2) that given odors are already associated with expectancies for visual/auditory/tactile reinforcements, hence triggering multimodal intake of information (e.g., Korner & Thoman, 1970), or (3) that breast odor is part of a whole activity pattern recruiting vision and touch to boost the localization of a nipple. This latter point is backed by the second aspect of olfacto-visual interaction observed here, namely that being exposed to breast odor with open eyes leads to improved oral activity in calm-to-active infants.…”

Working memory performance and exposure to pleasant and unpleasant ambient odor: Is spatial span special?

“……”

Preliminary investigation of the effect of peppermint oil on an objective measure of daytime sleepiness

“…This was further supported by EEG studies showing that presentation of peppermint oil could lead to and increased ability to sustain attention . However, using a visual vigilance task, Gould and Martin (2001) found that there was a significant effect of bergamot (a relaxing odour) on task performance, with participants detecting fewer targets, but there was no effect of peppermint.…”

The “smellscape” of mother's breast: Effects of odor masking and selective unmasking on neonatal arousal, oral, and visual responses

“…This olfactory-visual interaction is revealed first by longer cumulative duration of eye opening in odorous breast trials. Such an effect may be explained either by the facts (1) that odors in general may be moderately arousing and hence stimulate all-purpose sensory, including visual, seeking activity (as indicated by research in adults; e.g., Gould & Martin, 2001;Ilmberger et al, 2001;Lorig et al, 1991;Spence et al, 2001), (2) that given odors are already associated with expectancies for visual/auditory/tactile reinforcements, hence triggering multimodal intake of information (e.g., Korner & Thoman, 1970), or (3) that breast odor is part of a whole activity pattern recruiting vision and touch to boost the localization of a nipple. This latter point is backed by the second aspect of olfacto-visual interaction observed here, namely that being exposed to breast odor with open eyes leads to improved oral activity in calm-to-active infants.…”

Working memory performance and exposure to pleasant and unpleasant ambient odor: Is spatial span special?

“……”