Centre for Policy on Ageing



Odor identification — influences of age, gender, cognition, and personality
Author(s)	Maria Larsson, Deborah Finkel, Nancy L Pedersen
Journal title	Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, vol 55B, no 5, September 2000
Pages	pp P304-P310
Keywords	Smell [sense] ; Age groups [elderly] ; Cognitive processes ; Personality ; Sweden.
Annotation	Ageing is often accompanied by impairments in various sensory and cognitive aspects of olfactory functioning. In this study, the authors assessed a subsample of 532 participants (aged 45-87) from the Swedish Adoption / Twin Study, using a Swedish version of the "National Geographic" Smell Survey. Both detection and identification of olfactory information were impaired with age. Gender had no effect on detection or identification. Hierarchical regressions revealed that proficiency in semantic memory, intensity perception, and personality style (i.e. neuroticism, impulsiveness, and lack of assertiveness) were potent predictors for successful odour identification, even when individual variations in chronological age, sex, education and global cognitive functioning were taken into account. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-001123209 A
Classmark	BLQ: BB: DA: DK: 76P
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.