Episodic Odor Recognition Memory Is Reflected in Narratives About the Earliest Memories in Older Adults

Many studies have shown that the characteristics of odor-evoked memories differ from the characteristics of memories evoked by other senses. So far, no research has specifically investigated the relationship between odor memory and the quality of memories without using an odor trigger. The purpose of this study was to explore the link between episodic odor recognition memory and the linguistic and semantic content of autobiographical narratives about the earliest memories of older adults by a methodological approach deprived of odor stimuli. A sample of 112 older adults aged 59 to 101 years old was recruited. Odor memory was measured via the Sniffin' Test of Odor Memory, and the linguistic and semantic content of memories was measured via the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count system. The results showed that episodic odor recognition memory was a predictor of the number of first-person pronouns and number of words concerning cognitive processes in the narratives about the earliest memories. Implications for memory and future research directions are discussed.