Verbal coding in olfactory versus nonolfactory cognition.
Two paired-associate memory experiments were conducted to investigate verbal coding in olfactory versus nonolfactory cognition. Experiment 1 examined the effects of switching/not switching odors and visual items to words between encoding and test sessions. Experiment 2 examined switching/not switching perceptual odors and verbal-imagine versions of odors with each other. Experiment 1 showed that memory was impaired for odors but not visual cues when they were switched to their verbal form at test. Experiment 2 revealed that memory was impaired for both odors and verbal-imagine cues when they were switched in format at test and that odor sensory imagery was not accessed by the instruction to imagine a smell. Together, these findings suggest that olfaction is distinguished from other sensory systems by the degree of verbal coding involved in associated cognitive processing.
Herz
R S
RS
Department of Psychology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA. rachel_herz@brown.edu
D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D010153:Paired-Associate Learning; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D012903:Smell; D014706:Verbal Learning