The role of attention in the localization of odors to the mouth
Open accessAbstract
Odors can be perceived as arising from the environment or as part of a flavor located in the mouth. One factor that may dictate where an odor is perceived to be is concurrent gustatory stimulation in the mouth. A taste may impair the ability to attend to an odor, especially if they are perceptually similar. Alternatively, salient mouth-based features of a flavor might command attention at the expense of smell. Experiment 1 and 2, using different stimulus sets, explored the impact of perceptually similar and dissimilar pairings of tastes in the mouth and odors at the nose. In each case, these were followed by judgments of the odor's location (mouth vs. nose). Perceptual similarity had no impact on localization judgments. Experiment 3 then manipulated the salience of the olfactory and gustatory cues and showed that each could independently shift the perceived location of an odorant-salient olfactory cues toward the nose and gustatory cues toward the mouth. These findings suggest that the salient features of a flavor may command attention at the expense of olfaction and, thereby, contribute to oral localization, with implications for flavor binding.
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The degree of oral referral is proportional to the intensity of tastants and inversely proportional to the intensity of olfactory stimuli.
“the degree of oral referral is proportional to the intensity of the tastants, and inversely proportional to the intensity of olfactory stimuli [186].”
From The Role of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Sensory Factors in Sweetness Perception of Food and Beverages: A Review (2019) · cites this paper as [186]
Experiment 3’s Localization ratings report more oral localization with strong than weak sucrose and less with the higher-concentration plum odor condition. But that odor condition also contained a nasal irritant, so the paper does not isolate an inverse effect of odor intensity; nor does it establish a strictly proportional relationship. The General discussion describes these findings in terms of how strongly oral and nasal stimuli command attention. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredFlavours appear to originate from the oral cavity even if olfactory stimuli are detected in the nose.
“flavours appear to originate from the oral cavity, even if olfactory stimuli are detected in the nose (e.g., [184-186]”
From The Role of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Sensory Factors in Sweetness Perception of Food and Beverages: A Review (2019) · cites this paper as [186]
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- Authors
- Stevenson, R. J., Mahmut, M. K., & Oaten, M. J.
- Affiliations
- Macquarie University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Stevenson, Richard J.
- Venue
- Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics
- Published
- 2010-11-19
- Volume
- 73
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 247-258
- ISSN
- 1943-3921 (ISSN-L)
- 1943-393X
- OpenAlex
- W2022170870
- Cited by
- 39
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 5.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Attention Perception & Psychophysics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Australian Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
- Keywords
- odor localization, attention, taste-odor interaction, olfaction, taste perception, perceptual similarity, salience, flavor perception
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Attention, Discrimination, Psychological, Female, Humans, Judgment, Male, Odorants, Orientation, Sensory Thresholds, Smell, Taste, Young Adult
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