TOILET ROOMS, BODY MASSAGES, AND SMELLS - 2 FIELD STUDIES ON HUMAN EVALUATIVE ODOR CONDITIONING

In two experimental field studies, the hypothesis was tested that Pavl ovian conditioning may modify adults' liking or disliking of an odor. In Experiment 1, an odor (CS) was first paired unobtrusively with toil et stimuli (US). Next, Ss rated the experimental and a control odor on Semantic Differential items. For Ss evaluating going-to-the-toilet ne gatively, an acquired dislike for the toilet-paired odor relative to a nonexposed control odor was observed, whereas in Ss evaluating going- to-the-toilet positively, the reverse was observed. In Experiment 2, a neutral odor (CS) was mixed into the massage oil with which a physiot herapist treated his patients. Half of the Ss were treated with Positi ve-relaxing massage, half of the Ss with Negative-painful massage. At the medical follow-up, Semantic Differential ratings were obtained bot h for the treatment-odor and for a control odor. In the Positive massa ge group, the treatment odor was rated as more positive and as less dy namic than the control odor. No similar effects were observed in the N egative massage group, a failure which was probably due to the intende d Negative massage not really being experienced as a disliked event. I n both experiments, an almost identical pattern of results was observe d in the subgroup of Ss who did not consciously recognize the experime ntal odor as the treatment odor, eliminating the possibility that the results should be due to demand. As mere exposure cannot account for t he results, they most probably represent genuine instances of evaluati ve odor conditioning. The results are discussed in terms of the unders tanding of the origins of the affective meaning of odorants, and are r elated to human evaluative conditioning and implicit memory issues.