Psychological studies involving preconception of odors on adaptation/habituation —Based on A Review of Author’s Previous Studies

This article reviews the author’s previous studies on human odor perception and cognition influenced by preconception on the odor. It is often suggested that human adaptation and habituation to odors vary widely among individuals, making reproducible experimental investigation difficult. Thus, the discussion will focus on what kind of experimental design is effective when examining the influence of preconceptions on the perceived intensity of odors. Specifically, the effects of positive or negative preconceptions of an odor on the transition of odor perceived intensity is discussed based on a comparison between continuous and intermittent presentation of odor stimulus. In addition, as an example of studies that implicitly gives preconceptions, our study of the effects on subjective and physiological responses when artificial foliage plants are contingently paired with the essential oil odor is also introduced.