| Abstract: | Information on long-term memory for common odors is discussed.Olfactory parameters (i. e. familiarity, recognition, identification)and their relationship to current memory theory are highlighted.Emphasis is focused on the impact of semantic memory on episodicodor recognition. In contrast to previous research suggestingthat verbal/semantic factors play a negligible role in olfactorymemory, the present review indicates that episodic odor informationis mediated by factors that can be subsumed under the rubricof semantic memory. Specific odor knowledge, such as perceivedfamiliarity and identifiability, is strongly and positivelyrelated to episodic odor memory performance. Age-related impairmentsin various olfactory and cognitive parameters and the potentialdetrimental effects in episodic odor memory are discussed. Finally,the issue of whether olfactory memory should be conceptualizedas an independent process, or whether it shares characteristicswith memory for verbal and visual information, is addressed.Chem. Senses 22: 623–633, 1997. |
