The effects of same and mixed olfactory cues present at immediate and delayed recall

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of same and mixed olfactory stimuli on immediate and delayed recall. A total of 146 participants were assigned to one of five experimental conditions: (a) pleasant-unfamiliar/pleasant unfamiliar odor; (b) pleasant-unfamiliar/no odor; (c) pleasant-unfamiliar/pleasant-familiar odor; (d) pleasant-unfamiliar/unpleasant-unfamiliar odor; and (e) no odor/pleasant-unfamiliar odor. The odors used were osmanthus (pleasant-unfamiliar), peppermint (pleasant-familiar), and ammonium sulfide (unpleasant-unfamiliar). The participants were given a list of 20 novel animal names between four and nine characters in length to remember. Recall of the word list was measured at two different times: immediate and delayed.;Results of the ANCOVA indicated no significant differences between the experimental conditions. Thus, it appeared that the same odor did not need to be present during both immediate and delayed recall sessions. These results do not support previous research that has suggested the same odor must be present at both sessions in order for the odor to facilitate learning. A closer examination of the data indicated that participants in the osmanthus/osmanthus group evidenced a smaller average decrement in performance when compared to participants in the other experimental conditions.;Discussion of the results focuses primarily on the consistency and inconsistency of the current study with previous studies and the possible educational implications of the findings. In addition, the significance of the differences in immediate recall scores by experimental condition is explored as well as the lack of significant findings for differences by gender and ethnicity. The major limitations of the study are addressed, with particular focus on those variables that might have impacted performance or interacted with the odors. Finally, directions for future research are explored and the possible implications for applied use are identified.