Applied Olfactory Cognition

Abstract

In recent years a significant body of research has accumulated on olfaction along several lines of investigation, ranging from molecular mechanisms to the neural and cognitive processing of olfactory information, as well as to multiple influences of odors on our everyday lives. The purpose of the present Frontiers' Research Topic is to present experimental data (run in the laboratory as well as in everyday settings), reviews and methods papers on various applied or applicable aspects of olfactory cognition along with the beneficial possibilities that olfactory cognitions make possible in ameliorating different aspects of human condition.The present Research Topic is composed of 23 articles reunited in six fields of applied olfactory cognition. The first section concerns basic studies on odor memory and attention. In the first article, Smeets and Dijksterhuis (2014) review the potency of odors to affect human behavior. In the second article, Toet and van Schaik (2013) focus on how such priming are dependent on the congruency between the odor prime and the behavior that is supposed to be affected. In the third article, Köster et al. (2014) reverse the typical view on memory as being triggered by cues of previously encountered objects and argue that odor memory in everyday life is about detecting novelty rather than pleasantness. This section ends with an overview by Larsson et al. (2014) (article fourth) on the potency of odor-cues to generate life-long autobiographical memories.The second section reunites contributions on the acquisition and consequence of olfactory expertise which remains relatively unexplored in olfaction. Royet et al. (2013), report brain imaging studies with different types of odor experts, including: perfumers, flavorists, and oenologists (article fifth). Thereafter Sezille et al. We are grateful to all of the contributors for their commitment to this project and for providing new accounts of the state of the art in applied olfactory cognition. We would also like to extend our special thanks to Professor Richard J. Stevenson for writing the foreword of this book. We hope that this e-volume will help promote further research on the applied aspects of olfactory perception and cognition and attract new scientists Applied olfactory cognition to the field. We also hope that it will be a useful resource for colleagues and professionals dealing with the study of the chemical senses in relation with issues on human welfare in everyday setting. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS