Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Availability of Olfactory Information for Cognitive Processes

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Philosophy of Olfactory Perception

  • 341 Accesses

Abstract

Perceptual systems coevolved with cognitive systems that process perceptual information. In “Availability of Olfactory Information for Cognitive Processes”, Keller reviews what is known about the flow of information from the olfactory system to cognitive processes. He argues that emotional processes have privileged access to olfactory information whereas the connection between olfaction and language systems is weak. The strong connection between olfaction and emotional processes reflects the shared evolutionary history and neuroanatomy of olfactory and emotional processes. Because each modality has a different evolutionary history, it is not possible to generalize from the connectivity between perceptual and cognitive processes observed in one modality to other modalities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aggleton, J. P., Young, A. E., et al. (2000). The enigma of the amygdala: On its contribution to human emotion. In R. D. Lane & L. Nadel (Eds.), Cognitie neuroscience of emotion (pp. 106–128). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berlin, B., & Kay, P. (1969). Basic color terms: Their universality and evolution. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Binder, J. R., Frost, J. A., et al. (1997). Human brain language areas identified by functional magnetic resonance imaging. The Journal of Neuroscience, 17(1), 353–362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bushdid, C., Magnasco, M. O., et al. (2014). Humans can discriminate more than one trillion olfactory stimuli. Science, 343(6177), 1370–1372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cain, D. P., & Bindra, D. (1972). Responses of amygdala single units to odors in the rat. Experimental Neurology, 35(1), 98–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chobor, K. L. (1992). A neurolinguistic perspective of the study of olfaction. In M. J. Serby & K. L. Chobor (Eds.), Science of olfaction (pp. 355–377). New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Desor, J. A., & Beauchamp, G. K. (1974). The human capacity to transmit olfactory information. Perception & Psychophysics, 16(3), 551–556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehrlichman, H., & Bastone, L. (1992). Olfaction and emotion. In M. J. Serby & K. L. Chobor (Eds.), Science of olfaction (pp. 410–438). New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Engen, T. (1982). The perception of odors. New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, A. N. (2008). What the nose knows. New York: Crown Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottfried, J. A. (2007). What can an orbitofrontal cortex-endowed animal do with smells? Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1121(1), 102–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gottfried, J. A., & Zelano, C. (2011). The value of identity: Olfactory notes on orbitofrontal cortex function. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1239(1), 138–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gutiérrez-Castellanos, N., Martínez-Marcos, A., et al. (2010). Chemosensory function of the amygdala. Vitamins and Hormones, 83, 165–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haddad, R., Khan, R., et al. (2008). A metric for odorant comparison. Nature Methods, 5(5), 425–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herz, R. S. (2001). Ah, sweet skunk: Why we like or dislike what we smell. Cerebrum, 3(4), 31–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herz, R. S. (2005). The unique interaction between language and olfactory perception and cognition. Trends in experimental psychology research (pp. 91–109). New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herz, R. S. (2007). The scent of desire. New York: William Morrow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinton, P. B., & Henley, T. B. (1993). Cognitive and affective components of stimuli produced in three modes. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 31, 595–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, C. J., Paivio, A., et al. (1996). Cognitive components of picture naming. Psychological Bulletin, 120(1), 113–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jönsson, F. U., Tchekhova, A., et al. (2005). A metamemory perspective on odor naming and identification. Chemical Senses, 30(4), 353–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Köster, E. P. (2002). The specific characteristics of the sense of smell. In C. Rouby, B. Schaal, D. Dubois, R. Gervais, & A. Holley (Eds.), Olfaction, taste, and cognition (pp. 27–44). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kringelbach, M. L. (2005). The orbitofrontal cortex: Linking reward to hedonic experience. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6, 691–702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambon Ralph, M. A., Sage, K., et al. (2000). Classical anomia: A neuropsychological perspective on speech production. Neuropsychologia, 38(2), 186–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levinson, S. C., & Majid, A. (2014). Differential ineffability and the senses. Mind & Language, 29(4), 407–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, W., Lopez, L., et al. (2010). Right orbitofrontal cortex mediates conscious olfactory perception. Psychological Science, 21(10), 1454–1463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorig, T. S. (1999). On the similarity of odor and language perception. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 23(3), 391–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McBurney, D. H., Levine, J. M., et al. (1977). Psychophysical and social ratings of human body odor. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 3, 135–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrot, G., Brochet, F., et al. (2001). The color of odors. Brain and Language, 79(2), 309–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pessoa, L., & Adolphs, R. (2010). Emotion processing and the amygdala: From a ‘low road’ to ‘many roads’ of evaluating biological significance. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(11), 773–783.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Price, J. L. (2007). Definition of the orbital cortex in relation to specific connections with limbic and visceral structures and other cortical regions. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1121(1), 54–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rolls, E. T., Kringelbach, M. L., et al. (2003). Different representations of pleasant and unpleasant odors in the human brain. European Journal of Neuroscience, 18, 695–703.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Royet, J. P., & Plailly, J. (2004). Lateralization of olfactory processes. Chemical Senses, 29(8), 731–745.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salzman, C. D., & Fusi, S. (2010). Emotion, cognition, and mental state representation in amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 33(1), 173–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, B. L., & Metcalfe, J. (2011). Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states: Retrieval, behavior, and experience. Memory & Cognition, 39(5), 737–749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song, C., & Leonard, B. E. (2005). The olfactory bulbectomised rat as a model of depression. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 29(4–5), 627–647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soudry, Y., Lemogne, C., et al. (2011). Olfactory system and emotion: Common substrates. European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases, 128(1), 18–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, R. J. (2009). Phenomenal and access consciousness in olfaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, R. J., Oaten, M. J., et al. (2010). Children’s response to adult disgust elicitors: Development and acquisition. Developmental Psychology, 46(1), 165–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sulmont-Rosse, C. (2005). Odor naming methodology: Correct identification with multiple-choice versus repeatable identification in a free task. Chemical Senses, 30(1), 23–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello, M. (2008). Origins of human communication. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello, M., Carpenter, M., et al. (2005). Understanding and sharing intentions: The origins of cultural cognition. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28(5), 675.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veramendi, M., Herencia, P., et al. (2013). Perfume odor categorization. Journal of Sensory Studies, 28, 76–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zald, D. H., & Pardo, J. V. (1997). Emotion, olfaction, and the human amygdala: Amygdala activation during aversive olfactory stimulation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 94(8), 4119–4124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zald, D. H., & Rauch, S. (2008). The orbitofrontal cortex. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Astoria, New York, USA

    Andreas Keller

Authors
  1. Andreas Keller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Keller, A. (2016). Availability of Olfactory Information for Cognitive Processes. In: Philosophy of Olfactory Perception. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33645-9_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation