Who nose what eye can see? - Examining the impact of scent on visual attention.

Extant literature has shown that sensory cues, such as scent, affect how visual and visuo motor tasks are carried out. While many cross-modal studies have explored the interactions between olfactory and visual cues, little research has examined the effects of scent on visual attention specifically....

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chong, Trinetta Chiao Sing., Goh, Su Xin.
Other Authors: May Oo Lwin
Format: Final Year Project (FYP)
Language:English
Published: 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10356/44940
_version_ 1826114351389474816
author Chong, Trinetta Chiao Sing.
Goh, Su Xin.
author2 May Oo Lwin
author_facet May Oo Lwin
Chong, Trinetta Chiao Sing.
Goh, Su Xin.
author_sort Chong, Trinetta Chiao Sing.
collection NTU
description Extant literature has shown that sensory cues, such as scent, affect how visual and visuo motor tasks are carried out. While many cross-modal studies have explored the interactions between olfactory and visual cues, little research has examined the effects of scent on visual attention specifically. Our research aimed to determine whether scents can enhance visual attention towards congruent stimuli in the context of an advertisement. 148 participants were recruited for three studies, where their visual attention (i.e. frequency and duration of eye fixation) was recorded using an eye tracking system. In Study One, subjects in the treatment condition were asked to view a series of print advertisements in the presence of a scent. The print ads contained pictorial or textual cues that were either congruent or incongruent to the scent. Results showed that visual attention towards a pictorial or textual cue was significantly greater when it was congruent to the scent accompanying the ad. In Studies Two and Three, color perceptions and semantic associations of scent were explored. Findings revealed that visual attention towards a pictorial or textual cue was also significantly increased when it was either ‘color congruent’ or semantically congruent with the scent. Our collective findings demonstrate an olfactory priming effect on visual selective attention, where a scent can enhance visual attention towards specific cues in an advertisement if they are directly or semantically congruent with the scent. Implications of the findings for advertisers and marketers are discussed.
first_indexed 2024-10-01T03:38:04Z
format Final Year Project (FYP)
id ntu-10356/44940
institution Nanyang Technological University
language English
last_indexed 2024-10-01T03:38:04Z
publishDate 2011
record_format dspace
spelling ntu-10356/449402019-12-10T13:02:06Z Who nose what eye can see? - Examining the impact of scent on visual attention. Chong, Trinetta Chiao Sing. Goh, Su Xin. May Oo Lwin Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication Extant literature has shown that sensory cues, such as scent, affect how visual and visuo motor tasks are carried out. While many cross-modal studies have explored the interactions between olfactory and visual cues, little research has examined the effects of scent on visual attention specifically. Our research aimed to determine whether scents can enhance visual attention towards congruent stimuli in the context of an advertisement. 148 participants were recruited for three studies, where their visual attention (i.e. frequency and duration of eye fixation) was recorded using an eye tracking system. In Study One, subjects in the treatment condition were asked to view a series of print advertisements in the presence of a scent. The print ads contained pictorial or textual cues that were either congruent or incongruent to the scent. Results showed that visual attention towards a pictorial or textual cue was significantly greater when it was congruent to the scent accompanying the ad. In Studies Two and Three, color perceptions and semantic associations of scent were explored. Findings revealed that visual attention towards a pictorial or textual cue was also significantly increased when it was either ‘color congruent’ or semantically congruent with the scent. Our collective findings demonstrate an olfactory priming effect on visual selective attention, where a scent can enhance visual attention towards specific cues in an advertisement if they are directly or semantically congruent with the scent. Implications of the findings for advertisers and marketers are discussed. Bachelor of Communication Studies 2011-06-07T04:08:40Z 2011-06-07T04:08:40Z 2011 2011 Final Year Project (FYP) http://hdl.handle.net/10356/44940 en Nanyang Technological University 72 p. application/pdf
spellingShingle DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication
Chong, Trinetta Chiao Sing.
Goh, Su Xin.
Who nose what eye can see? - Examining the impact of scent on visual attention.
title Who nose what eye can see? - Examining the impact of scent on visual attention.
title_full Who nose what eye can see? - Examining the impact of scent on visual attention.
title_fullStr Who nose what eye can see? - Examining the impact of scent on visual attention.
title_full_unstemmed Who nose what eye can see? - Examining the impact of scent on visual attention.
title_short Who nose what eye can see? - Examining the impact of scent on visual attention.
title_sort who nose what eye can see examining the impact of scent on visual attention
topic DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication
url http://hdl.handle.net/10356/44940
work_keys_str_mv AT chongtrinettachiaosing whonosewhateyecanseeexaminingtheimpactofscentonvisualattention
AT gohsuxin whonosewhateyecanseeexaminingtheimpactofscentonvisualattention