Olfactory memory: the long and short of it

It has been proposed that memory for odors does not have a short-term (orworking) memory system. The distinction between short- and long- termmemory in other sensory modalities has been generally supported by threemain lines of evidence: capacity differences between the proposed systems,evidence of differential coding, and differential memory losses inneuropsychological patients. The present paper examines these issues in aneffort to establish a similar distinction for the memory of olfactorystimuli. Each of these lines of evidence is examined in relation to theliterature on olfactory memory. Based on this examination, it seems thatthere is at least preliminary support from each of these lines of evidenceto advocate a distinction between a long- and short-term memory forolfactory stimuli. Emphasis is placed upon the qualitative similarity ofolfactory memory to other memory systems. This similarity is furtherhighlighted through an examination of the literature pertinent to serialposition effects in memory for olfactory stimuli.