Olfactory Impact on Sequential Memory and Attention in College Students

Publication Date

Spring 4-22-2026

Presentation Length

15 minutes

College

College of Sciences & Mathematics

Department

Psychological Sciences and Neurosciences, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

Faculty Mentor

Michael Oliver

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

Prior research suggests that senses affect attention and memory. For example, attention can be easily redirected by the experience of a pleasant scent (Rinaldi et al., 2018). Odor’s effect on attention simultaneously affects how the individual performs on a certain task, such as verbal recall (Sorokowska et al., 2022). Generally, presenting an odor congruently with a visual stimulus increases attention to the presented image (Fontana et al., 2025). However, within existing research, there is little that the pleasantness vs. unpleasantness of an odor and its impacts on visual attention and memory. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact that olfactory stimuli of varying pleasantness have on sequential memory and attention. Participants (N = 25) completed three trials while attention was measured simultaneously using an eye-tracker. In each trial, participants were exposed to one of three olfactory stimuli [citrus essential oil (pleasant), “natural gas leak” essential oil (unpleasant), or unscented water (control)] while viewing a rapid series of images and numbers on a computer monitor. Following each trial, participants rated the scent valence using a 9-point Self-Assessment Manikin, and then recalled the order of the previously presented images. We hypothesized that exposure to the unpleasant scent would lead to higher accuracy scores on image recall. Additionally, we hypothesized that the unpleasant scent would increase fixation time on the presented images, indicating greater visual attention during the task. Our results may have practical relevance in settings such as classrooms, where scent could help improve focus and attention, and in dangerous situations where certain smells may increase awareness. Future research could explore how different scents or levels of intensity affect these outcomes.

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