The effects of ambient odor on the cognitive performance, mood, and activation, of low and high impulsive individuals in a naturally arousing situation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pleasant ambient odors of jasmine and lavender on the cognitive performance, activation, mood, and liking of the situation of low- and high-impulsive individuals in a naturally arousing situation. The study also attempted to confirm and expand the findings of previous research using a different cognitive task. Students from two Introductory Psychology classes were given their midterm examinations in a laboratory under Jasmine, Lavender, or No-odor conditions. The students were also administered a questionnaire concerning how much they studied for the exam, an activation checklist, subjective graphs measuring aspects of affect and metacognition, and a post questionnaire asking if the subjects noticed the odor. The results of the study are complex. Subjects appeared to notice the odor in the environment. Also, females perceived jasmine to be stronger smelling than lavender. However, even though the manipulation was validated, odor did not appear to effect scores on the midterm examination or liking of the experimental situation. Also, interestingly odor had not significant effects on metacognitive measures of perceived performance and perceived concentration. The most curious effects arose from measures presumably related to arousal. On one measure it was evidenced that jasmine and lavender decreased general arousal. Using another measure, jasmine increased anxiety/nervousness for females, but decreased it for males. At the same time, jasmine increased motivation/interest for males, and decreased it for females. The motivation/interest interaction and the anxiety/nervousness interaction seem consonant with one another given Eysenck's arousal theory (1967). Implications of results and need for further research are discussed.