The impact of olfactory stimuli on foreign language vocabulary acquisition in an immersive virtual reality environment. Peixoto, B., Bessa, L. C. P., Gonçalves, G., Bessa, M., & Melo, M. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 7:1751609, April, 2026. ![The impact of olfactory stimuli on foreign language vocabulary acquisition in an immersive virtual reality environment [link]](https://bibbase.org/img/filetypes/link.svg "link")
Paper doi abstract bibtex Introduction Immersive virtual reality (iVR) offers a multisensory environment for education, yet the integration of olfaction remains underexplored. This study examined whether incorporating ambient olfactory stimuli into an iVR environment enhances foreign language vocabulary retention and the user’s sense of presence. Methods A between-subjects experiment was conducted with 59 participants who learned German vocabulary in a virtual airport scenario. Participants were assigned to one of five ambient olfactory conditions systematically selected to represent distinct quadrants of the circumplex model of affect: no scent (control), spearmint (pleasant-arousing), lavender (pleasant-calming), burning wood (unpleasant-arousing), or sewage (unpleasant-calming). Vocabulary retention was measured using matching pre- and post-tests, while subjective presence was assessed using the standardised Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQp). Results The results indicated that ambient olfactory stimulation, regardless of affective valence or arousal level, did not significantly improve immediate vocabulary retention compared to the control condition. However, scent did impact the subjective experience of presence; notably, an unpleasant, high-arousal scent (burning wood) served as a distraction, significantly reducing perceived spatial presence. Discussion These findings establish an important boundary condition for multisensory educational VR. They demonstrate that the simple addition of ambient, affective scents as a background stimulus is insufficient to drive immediate cognitive learning gains, and may even detract from immersion if unpleasant. Multisensory iVR design must be guided by pedagogical priorities rather than novelty alone, suggesting that relying solely on ambient emotional modulation via olfaction is not a viable strategy for complex cognitive tasks.
@article{peixoto_impact_2026,
title = {The impact of olfactory stimuli on foreign language vocabulary acquisition in an immersive virtual reality environment},
volume = {7},
issn = {2673-4192},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2026.1751609/full},
doi = {10.3389/frvir.2026.1751609},
abstract = {Introduction
Immersive virtual reality (iVR) offers a multisensory environment for education, yet the integration of olfaction remains underexplored. This study examined whether incorporating ambient olfactory stimuli into an iVR environment enhances foreign language vocabulary retention and the user’s sense of presence.
Methods
A between-subjects experiment was conducted with 59 participants who learned German vocabulary in a virtual airport scenario. Participants were assigned to one of five ambient olfactory conditions systematically selected to represent distinct quadrants of the circumplex model of affect: no scent (control), spearmint (pleasant-arousing), lavender (pleasant-calming), burning wood (unpleasant-arousing), or sewage (unpleasant-calming). Vocabulary retention was measured using matching pre- and post-tests, while subjective presence was assessed using the standardised Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQp).
Results
The results indicated that ambient olfactory stimulation, regardless of affective valence or arousal level, did not significantly improve immediate vocabulary retention compared to the control condition. However, scent did impact the subjective experience of presence; notably, an unpleasant, high-arousal scent (burning wood) served as a distraction, significantly reducing perceived spatial presence.
Discussion
These findings establish an important boundary condition for multisensory educational VR. They demonstrate that the simple addition of ambient, affective scents as a background stimulus is insufficient to drive immediate cognitive learning gains, and may even detract from immersion if unpleasant. Multisensory iVR design must be guided by pedagogical priorities rather than novelty alone, suggesting that relying solely on ambient emotional modulation via olfaction is not a viable strategy for complex cognitive tasks.},
urldate = {2026-04-21},
journal = {Frontiers in Virtual Reality},
author = {Peixoto, Bruno and Bessa, Luciana Cabral P. and Gonçalves, Guilherme and Bessa, Maximino and Melo, Miguel},
month = apr,
year = {2026},
pages = {1751609},
}
Downloads: 0
{"_id":"fAG3hqjtEHhrrQEcv","bibbaseid":"peixoto-bessa-gonalves-bessa-melo-theimpactofolfactorystimulionforeignlanguagevocabularyacquisitioninanimmersivevirtualrealityenvironment-2026","author_short":["Peixoto, B.","Bessa, L. C. P.","Gonçalves, G.","Bessa, M.","Melo, M."],"bibdata":{"bibtype":"article","type":"article","title":"The impact of olfactory stimuli on foreign language vocabulary acquisition in an immersive virtual reality environment","volume":"7","issn":"2673-4192","url":"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2026.1751609/full","doi":"10.3389/frvir.2026.1751609","abstract":"Introduction Immersive virtual reality (iVR) offers a multisensory environment for education, yet the integration of olfaction remains underexplored. This study examined whether incorporating ambient olfactory stimuli into an iVR environment enhances foreign language vocabulary retention and the user’s sense of presence. Methods A between-subjects experiment was conducted with 59 participants who learned German vocabulary in a virtual airport scenario. Participants were assigned to one of five ambient olfactory conditions systematically selected to represent distinct quadrants of the circumplex model of affect: no scent (control), spearmint (pleasant-arousing), lavender (pleasant-calming), burning wood (unpleasant-arousing), or sewage (unpleasant-calming). Vocabulary retention was measured using matching pre- and post-tests, while subjective presence was assessed using the standardised Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQp). Results The results indicated that ambient olfactory stimulation, regardless of affective valence or arousal level, did not significantly improve immediate vocabulary retention compared to the control condition. However, scent did impact the subjective experience of presence; notably, an unpleasant, high-arousal scent (burning wood) served as a distraction, significantly reducing perceived spatial presence. Discussion These findings establish an important boundary condition for multisensory educational VR. They demonstrate that the simple addition of ambient, affective scents as a background stimulus is insufficient to drive immediate cognitive learning gains, and may even detract from immersion if unpleasant. Multisensory iVR design must be guided by pedagogical priorities rather than novelty alone, suggesting that relying solely on ambient emotional modulation via olfaction is not a viable strategy for complex cognitive tasks.","urldate":"2026-04-21","journal":"Frontiers in Virtual Reality","author":[{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Peixoto"],"firstnames":["Bruno"],"suffixes":[]},{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Bessa"],"firstnames":["Luciana","Cabral","P."],"suffixes":[]},{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Gonçalves"],"firstnames":["Guilherme"],"suffixes":[]},{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Bessa"],"firstnames":["Maximino"],"suffixes":[]},{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Melo"],"firstnames":["Miguel"],"suffixes":[]}],"month":"April","year":"2026","pages":"1751609","bibtex":"@article{peixoto_impact_2026,\n\ttitle = {The impact of olfactory stimuli on foreign language vocabulary acquisition in an immersive virtual reality environment},\n\tvolume = {7},\n\tissn = {2673-4192},\n\turl = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2026.1751609/full},\n\tdoi = {10.3389/frvir.2026.1751609},\n\tabstract = {Introduction \n Immersive virtual reality (iVR) offers a multisensory environment for education, yet the integration of olfaction remains underexplored. This study examined whether incorporating ambient olfactory stimuli into an iVR environment enhances foreign language vocabulary retention and the user’s sense of presence. \n \n \n Methods \n A between-subjects experiment was conducted with 59 participants who learned German vocabulary in a virtual airport scenario. Participants were assigned to one of five ambient olfactory conditions systematically selected to represent distinct quadrants of the circumplex model of affect: no scent (control), spearmint (pleasant-arousing), lavender (pleasant-calming), burning wood (unpleasant-arousing), or sewage (unpleasant-calming). Vocabulary retention was measured using matching pre- and post-tests, while subjective presence was assessed using the standardised Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQp). \n \n \n Results \n The results indicated that ambient olfactory stimulation, regardless of affective valence or arousal level, did not significantly improve immediate vocabulary retention compared to the control condition. However, scent did impact the subjective experience of presence; notably, an unpleasant, high-arousal scent (burning wood) served as a distraction, significantly reducing perceived spatial presence. \n \n \n Discussion \n These findings establish an important boundary condition for multisensory educational VR. They demonstrate that the simple addition of ambient, affective scents as a background stimulus is insufficient to drive immediate cognitive learning gains, and may even detract from immersion if unpleasant. Multisensory iVR design must be guided by pedagogical priorities rather than novelty alone, suggesting that relying solely on ambient emotional modulation via olfaction is not a viable strategy for complex cognitive tasks.},\n\turldate = {2026-04-21},\n\tjournal = {Frontiers in Virtual Reality},\n\tauthor = {Peixoto, Bruno and Bessa, Luciana Cabral P. and Gonçalves, Guilherme and Bessa, Maximino and Melo, Miguel},\n\tmonth = apr,\n\tyear = {2026},\n\tpages = {1751609},\n}\n\n\n\n","author_short":["Peixoto, B.","Bessa, L. C. P.","Gonçalves, G.","Bessa, M.","Melo, M."],"key":"peixoto_impact_2026","id":"peixoto_impact_2026","bibbaseid":"peixoto-bessa-gonalves-bessa-melo-theimpactofolfactorystimulionforeignlanguagevocabularyacquisitioninanimmersivevirtualrealityenvironment-2026","role":"author","urls":{"Paper":"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2026.1751609/full"},"metadata":{"authorlinks":{}}},"bibtype":"article","biburl":"https://bibbase.org/zotero-group/massivevr/3163568","dataSources":["vo74ehNyH6yiDy529"],"keywords":[],"search_terms":["impact","olfactory","stimuli","foreign","language","vocabulary","acquisition","immersive","virtual","reality","environment","peixoto","bessa","gonçalves","bessa","melo"],"title":"The impact of olfactory stimuli on foreign language vocabulary acquisition in an immersive virtual reality environment","year":2026}