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Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
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Performance in a Complex Task and Breathing under Odor Exposure

Brigitta Danuser

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland

Denise Moser

University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Tanja Vitale-Sethre

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland

René Hirsig

University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Helmut Krueger

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland

We investigated the influences of odor exposure on performance and on breathing measures. The task was composed of tracking, short-term memory, and peripheral reaction parts. During rest or while performing the task, 12 participants were exposed to 4 different odors in 2 intensities. The higher intensity of the malodors induced a short-term decrement in mean inspiration flow (Vi/Ti) after stimulus onset and impaired performance in the short-term memory task, as compared with control trials; no effect was found for the positively judged odors. The study suggests that a distractor as simple as a bad smell may pull a person off task, however briefly, and may result in a detriment to performance. Actual or potential applications of this research involve designing or securing tasks in such a way that a brief withdrawal of attention does not have fatal consequences.

Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Vol. 45, No. 4, 549-562 (2003)
DOI: 10.1518/hfes.45.4.549.27093
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