Mobilization of short-term memory capacity for odors in discriminative tests: implication for assessors' selection
2004
Dacremont, C. | Valentin, D.
The objective was to determine whether individual short-term memory capacities for odor are related to performance at discriminative tests. Two groups of 11 subjects were formed with different short-term memory for odor but equivalent sensitivity toward benzaldehyde, the aromatic compound to be detected in discriminative tests. The subject sensitivity was determined by d' values, derived from a detection task. Memory span for odors was the largest number of odors memorized at once. It ranged from 1 to 3 for the low memory span group and from 5 to 7 for the high memory span group. Then, subjects performed 20 triangle tests and 12 2-out-of-5 tests with two strawberry flavored soft drinks, one being supplemented with benzaldehyde. Results showed that the high memory span group outperformed the low memory span group for both tests. This indicates that short-term memory ability along with sensitivity contribute to individual performance in discriminative tests. This result has implications for test design and subject selection.
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