odorant

(noun)

Any substance that has a distinctive smell, especially one added to another substance (such as household gas) for safety purposes.

Related Terms

  • pheromone
  • mucosa
  • orbitofrontal

Examples of odorant in the following topics:

  • Olfaction: The Nasal Cavity and Smell

    • The olfactory system gives humans their sense of smell by inhaling and detecting odorants in the environment.
    • Each of the 350 receptor types is characteristic of only one odorant type.
    • These proteins carry out the transduction of odorants into electrical signals for neural processing.
    • Individual features of odor molecules descend on various parts of the olfactory system in the brain and combine to form a representation of odor.
    • Humans can differentiate between 10,000 different odors.
  • Sensory Absolute Thresholds

    • A classic example of absolute threshold is an odor test, in which a fragrance is released into an environment.
    • The absolute threshold in that scenario would be the least amount of fragrance necessary for a subject to detect that there is an odor.
    • If you've ever entered a room that has a terrible odor, but after a few minutes realized that you barely noticed it anymore, then you have experienced sensory adaptation.
  • Biological Influences on Sexual Motivation

    • While most research on pheromones has been conducted on animals and insects, smell and body odor is known to play a role in sociosexual behavior of humans.
    • Studies have suggested that humans might use odor cues associated with the immune system in order to select mates.
  • Selection

    • A stimulus that is particularly intense, like a bright light or bright color, a loud sound, a strong odor, a spicy taste, or a painful contact, is most likely to catch your attention.
  • Human vs. Animal Language

    • Other animals use odors or body movements to communicate.
  • Introduction to Sensation

    • Sensory information (such as taste, light, odor, pressure, vibration, heat, and pain) is perceived through the body's sensory receptors.
  • Types of Forgetting

    • Such conditions can include weather, company, location, the smell of a particular odor, hearing a certain song, or even tasting a specific flavor.
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