EFFECTS OF CONTEXT ON JUDGMENTS OF ODOR INTENSITIES IN HUMANS

This study evaluated whether the intensity of previously smelled odors could unintentionally influence the subsequent judgement of odor inte nsity. The predicted context effect was based on the adaptation-level theory. Before and 25 min after either WEAK or STRONG biasing odor con centrations, 51 subjects were required to rate the intensity of 10 dif ferent odor concentrations of California Orange Oil. After the WEAK bi as, subjects judged the odor intensity as being stronger than they did after the STRONG bias. Thus the intensity of odors smelled 25 min ear lier can unintentionally influence subsequent odor intensity judgement . The findings are discussed in the light of two alternative explanati ons, namely, a central implicit memory process and a stimulus-level-ba sed change at the peripheral level.