Siyao Du
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Alicia Carmichael
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: U-M Institute for Social Research – Research Center for Group Dynamics / Other
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Oral5
Session: Session 4 – 2:40pm – 3:30 pm
Room: Breakout room 5
Authors: Siyao Du, Alicia Carmichael, Natalie Leonard, Richard Gonzalez
Presenter: 2
Abstract
Olfactory perception provides a unique way to sense the world due to its fluidity. Individuals may associate a smell with its source (e.g., flower) or fragrance practices (e.g., hand cream) under various circumstances. To understand the variation in scent perception, this study aims to discover whether the context of the built environment affects olfaction. We hypothesize that participants will rate scents as (a) more pleasant and (b) less intense when they are presented in contexts that are consistent with their typical use vs. neutral contexts. For example, a scent commonly used in laundry detergent might have higher pleasantness and lower intensity ratings in a laundry room. We expect to recruit 60 (currently n = 33) normosmic, 18-45 year-old adults. Participants will experience scents in two contexts: homelike and non-homelike. In each context, participants will smell and rate their perceptions of intensity and pleasantness of scents. While participants rated 10 different scents overall, this analysis will only consider three context-consistent scents (Tide Ultra Oxi, Tide Fresh Coral Blast, and Gain Original) and one context-neutral scent (an unperfumed base gel). The three context-consistent scents were rated as more pleasant but also more intense than the context-neutral scent in both environments. However, mixed-effect linear regression models testing for an interaction between context and scent in predicting pleasantness and intensity were not significant. Unexpectedly, female participants on average rated scents as more intense than male participants regardless of scent type or context. Additional data collection is ongoing. This preliminary analysis only represents half the intended sample size (n = 33). Therefore, readers should be skeptical about drawing premature conclusions. Future research may want to consider the influence of sex on scent perception.
Interdisciplinary, Social Sciences
