TY - JOUR
T1 - Adding odor
T2 - Less distress and enhanced attention for 6-month-olds
AU - Coffield, Caroline N.
AU - Mayhew, Estelle M.Y.
AU - Haviland-Jones, Jeannette M.
AU - Walker-Andrews, Arlene S.
PY - 2014/5
Y1 - 2014/5
N2 - The effect of odor on cognitive and emotional processes has been studied in adults and children, but less so in infants. In this study twenty-seven six-month-olds were presented with a video while in either an odor (pine or baby-powder) or a no odor control condition. The video was a 92-s audiovisual presentation of a woman expressing happiness and sadness, with the order of emotion counterbalanced. Infant attention (looking time) and emotional expression (smiling, crying, mouthing) were coded. Infants looked longer in the presence of odor and expressed less crying and mouthing but more smiling behavior. Presence of odor markedly reduced infant emotional distress and increased attention, suggesting that the olfactory sensory system provides cues to infants that support mood regulation and maintain attention. These results have implications for optimizing infant environments for emotional health and cognitive development.
AB - The effect of odor on cognitive and emotional processes has been studied in adults and children, but less so in infants. In this study twenty-seven six-month-olds were presented with a video while in either an odor (pine or baby-powder) or a no odor control condition. The video was a 92-s audiovisual presentation of a woman expressing happiness and sadness, with the order of emotion counterbalanced. Infant attention (looking time) and emotional expression (smiling, crying, mouthing) were coded. Infants looked longer in the presence of odor and expressed less crying and mouthing but more smiling behavior. Presence of odor markedly reduced infant emotional distress and increased attention, suggesting that the olfactory sensory system provides cues to infants that support mood regulation and maintain attention. These results have implications for optimizing infant environments for emotional health and cognitive development.
KW - Emotion
KW - Infant development
KW - Olfaction
KW - Visual attention
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84896711110&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84896711110&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.infbeh.2013.12.010
DO - 10.1016/j.infbeh.2013.12.010
M3 - Article
C2 - 24530847
AN - SCOPUS:84896711110
SN - 0163-6383
VL - 37
SP - 155
EP - 161
JO - Infant Behavior and Development
JF - Infant Behavior and Development
IS - 2
ER -