Smell and tell: Strategically using odours to facilitate communication during witness interviews^†

† A portion of this research was presented at the 7th Annual Conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG) in June 2014 and at the 10th meeting of the Nordic Network for Research on Psychology and Law (NNPL) in October 2014.

Abstract

Odours are often identified as effective cues to evoke autobiographical memories. The purpose of the present experiment was to examine if olfactory exposure during encoding and retrieval could be strategically used to facilitate recall of information relating to a crime. Ninety-seven undergraduate students volunteered to participate in a 2 (Encoding: vanilla odour vs. no odour) × 2 (Retrieval: vanilla odour vs. no odour) between-subjects design. Amount and accuracy of reported details from a news report concerning a rape case functioned as dependent variables. Analyses indicated no significant effects on the total amount of reported details as a function of odour exposure. However, the participants who smelled vanilla during memory retrieval achieved, independent of previous encoding context, significantly higher accuracy rates. Unexpectedly, utilizing a pleasant vanilla odour during the report phase thus appeared beneficial to enhance the accuracy of a testimony. Methodological limitations with the experimental paradigm and odour distribution techniques will be furthered discussed.

Keywords:

• context-dependent memory
• retrieval cue
• witness recall
• accuracy
• odour

Notes

† A portion of this research was presented at the 7th Annual Conference of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG) in June 2014 and at the 10th meeting of the Nordic Network for Research on Psychology and Law (NNPL) in October 2014.