Was Proust Right, are Cookies the Trigger?

Odors are subjectively powerful memory triggers. While research supports that odors cue emotionally vivid memories, there has been no assessment of content accuracy for these recollections. Further, prior research measured cue effectiveness as all-or-nothing retrieval success. This study evaluates recollection quality and sensory details accuracy within recollections to assess odors' effectiveness as retrieval cues. Participants study target images paired with an odor or verbal cue. Two days later, they are tested with these and new cues. We will use a priori t-tests to analyze the differences between cue types on the recall of associated images. We will assess overall proportion of recalled images, overall number of details, correctly recalled, falsely recalled, and emotionally tagged details. We expect to replicate previous findings that cue type does not significantly differ in retrieval success for target images, but will cue more emotionally charged recollections. This emotion could either enhance recollection of details overall or spotlight central details, leading to lower levels of correct detail and/or higher levels of false details. Smell is the only sense with direct connections to the medial temporal brain structures associated with memory and emotion, and is associated with greater visual reactivation during recollection. Odor-cued memories may be more subjectively and objectively vivid, with greater sensory detail and emotional charge. Emotion could be focusing attention on central details at the expense of the peripheral details. This study is designed to assess cue type impact better and determine if odor cues have an objective advantage as a mnemonic aide.