Visual-Olfactory Interactions: Bimodal Facilitation and Impact on the Subjective Experience

Abstract

Odors are inherently ambiguous and therefore susceptible to redundant sensory as well as context information. The identification of an odor object relies largely on visual input. Thus far, it is unclear whether visual and olfactory stimuli are indeed integrated at an early perceptual stage and which role the congruence between the visual and olfactory inputs plays. Previous studies on visual-olfactory interaction used either congruent or incongruent information, leaving it open whether nuances of visual-olfactory congruence shape perception differently. We aimed to answer 1) whether visual-olfactory information is integrated at early stages of processing, 2) whether visual-olfactory congruence is a gradual or dichotomous phenomenon, and 3) whether visual information influences bimodal stimulus evaluation and odor identity. We found a bimodal response time speedup that is consistent with parallel processing according to race models. Subjectively, pleasantness of bimodal stimuli increased with increasing congruence, and orange images biased odor composition toward orange. Visual-olfactory congruence was perceived in gradual and distinct categories, consistent with the notion that congruence is a gradual phenomenon. Together, the data provide evidence for bimodal facilitation consistent with parallel processing of the visual and olfactory stimuli, and that visual-olfactory interactions influence various levels of the subjective experience.