Infant visual preference for fruit enhanced by congruent in-season odor

We explored the ability of infants to recognize the smell of daily foods, including strawberries and tomatoes, by using a preferential-looking-technique. Experiment 1 was conducted while strawberries were in season (from March to June) in order to enhance the frequency of participant exposure to strawberries outside of the laboratory. Thirty-seven infants aged 6–8 months were tested with a stimulus composed of a pair of photos of strawberries and tomatoes placed side by side and accompanied by a strawberry odor, a tomato odor, or no odors. Infants showed a preference for the strawberry picture when they smelled the congruent odor, but no such preference for the tomato picture. These results suggest that even young infants can recognize olfactory–visual congruency. We conducted Experiment 2 while strawberries were out of season (from July to September) to reduce participant exposure to strawberries in their daily life. Twenty-six infants aged 6–8 months were tested with a stimulus composed of a pair of photos of strawberries and tomatoes placed side by side and accompanied by a strawberry odor, or no odors. In Experiment 2, the olfactory–visual binding effect disappeared. This implies that visual–olfactory binding is triggered by an observer’s experience.

► We explored the ability of infants to recognize the smell of daily objects, including strawberries and tomatoes.
► Infants showed a preference for the strawberry picture when they smelled the congruent odor in strawberry season.
► This olfactory–visual binding effect disappeared while strawberries were out of season.
► These results suggest that infants can bind olfactory and visual information based on daily-life experience.