A systematic review of physiological responses to odours with a focus on current methods used in event-related study designs
Loos H, Schreiner L, Karacan B (2020)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2020
Journal
Book Volume: 158
Pages Range: 143-157
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.08.014
Abstract
Objectives: In odour research, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding the detailed understanding of the determinants and the magnitude of an odour's impact on human psychophysiology. Therefore, the present review aims to summarize current evidence on psychophysiological responses to olfactory events, to highlight diversity in research methods, and to provide recommendations for further research. Material and methods: Predefined search items were used for literature research in two databases, focussing on recent investigations of cardiac and electrodermal responses to short (<10 s) olfactory stimulations, combined with self-reports on odour experience, in a healthy population. The selected 27 publications were evaluated with regard to their methods and their findings on psychophysiological correlates of odour stimulation, following a conceptual scheme proposing mediating and moderating factors of physiological responses to odour stimuli. Results: The cardiac and electrodermal activity generally followed a discriminative pattern depending on the perceived pleasantness of an odour. Moreover, the trigeminal aspect of an odour stimulus became evident in electrodermal activity in several studies. Finally, for many of the here addressed potentially mediating and moderating variables, initial findings were obtained in some studies but these await corroboration by future research. With regard to the applied methodology, the reviewed studies were highly diverse, in terms of odour application, study design, and analysis of the time series data. Conclusions: Future research is needed to advance our understanding of, and theoretical concepts beyond, psychophysiological responses to olfactory events, and to achieve experimentally validated methodological guidelines for psychophysiological measurements in olfaction research.
Authors with CRIS profile
Helene Loos
Lehrstuhl für Aroma- und Geruchsforschung
Linda Schreiner
Lehrstuhl für Aroma- und Geruchsforschung
Additional Organisation(s)
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Loos, H., Schreiner, L., & Karacan, B. (2020). A systematic review of physiological responses to odours with a focus on current methods used in event-related study designs. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 158, 143-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.08.014
MLA:
Loos, Helene, Linda Schreiner, and Brid Karacan. "A systematic review of physiological responses to odours with a focus on current methods used in event-related study designs." International Journal of Psychophysiology 158 (2020): 143-157.
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