TY  - JOUR
AU  - Grabbe, Jeremy W. 
AU  - McCarthy, Ann L. 
AU  - Brown, Charissa M. 
AU  - Sabo, Arlene A. 
PY  - 2010
TI  - Olfaction and Emotion Content Effects for Memory of Vignettes
JF  - Current Research in Psychology
VL  - 1
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.3844/crpsp.2010.53.60
UR  - https://thescipub.com/abstract/crpsp.2010.53.60
AB  - Problem statement: Recent research has shown a relationship between olfaction and
episodic/autobiographical memory. The mnemonic theory of odor asserts that odor representation and
storage is tied to memory. The Proust phenomenon suggests that specifically episodic memory is the
memory component behind the mnemonic theory of olfaction. Neurological evidence demonstrates
that neural structures related to emotion have connections between olfactory receptors and the episodic
memory center. Approach: This study examined the role of emotion and olfaction in memory for
vignettes. Participants were presented with a series of vignettes that varied by emotional content.
Olfactory cues were paired with vignettes. Participants were questioned over recall of the vignettes.
Results: Two experiments demonstrated a significant effect for emotion in memory performance for
vignettes. The role of olfaction was not as prominent. Conclusion/Recommendations: This confirms
the Proust phenomenon olfaction, namely that olfaction plays a greater role in autobiographical
memory than memory for vignettes. The generalization of the Proust phenomenon to
nonautobiographical memory is not supported by the results of these two studies. The authors suggest
future research examining the interaction between olfaction and emotion should be directed towards
autobiographical memory.