title: Performance in a complex task and breathing under odor exposure.
abstract: We investigated the influences of odor exposure on performance and on breathing measures. The task was composed of tracking, short-term memory, and peripheral reaction parts. During rest or while performing the task, 12 participants were exposed to 4 different odors in 2 intensities. The higher intensity of the malodors induced a short-term decrement in mean inspiration flow (Vi/Ti) after stimulus onset and impaired performance in the short-term memory task, as compared with control trials; no effect was found for the positively judged odors. The study suggests that a distractor as simple as a bad smell may pull a person off task, however briefly, and may result in a detriment to performance. Actual or potential applications of this research involve designing or securing tasks in such a way that a brief withdrawal of attention does not have fatal consequences.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland. brigitta.danuser@hospvd.ch
authors.forename: Brigitta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Danuser
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vitale-Sethre
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hirsig
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Krueger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D009812:Odorants; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012119:Respiration; D012903:Smell; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis