LPCN · Laboratoire de Psychologie Caen Normandie

ECRO 2025
2025-09-15 08:30 - 2025-09-18 18:30 (Europe/Paris) | Bizkaia Aretoa – UPV/EHU, Abandoibarra Etorb., 3, Bilbao, 48009, Spain
The European Chemoreception Research Organization (ECRO) soutient la recherche fondamentale et appliquée en sciences « chimiosensorielles », notamment les travaux sur l’olfaction et le goût chez les vertébrés et les invertébrés. Le congrès de l’ECRO se déroulera cette année à Bilbao, en Espagne, du 15 au 18 septembre 2025. Un membre du LPCN sera présent lors de cet événement.

Maryse Delaunay est maîtresse de conférences au LPCN. Ses recherches portent sur le développement de la cognition olfactive, son objectif est de comparer les trajectoires de développement de jeunes enfants évoluant au sein de contextes socio-éducatifs différents. Elle est impliquée dans le programme de recherche SCOPE. Elle interviendra le 16 septembre à 16h et présentera un poster intitulé :

« The benefits of an early olfactory awakening for the development of conscious olfactory skills«

Maryse Delaunay (MC, LPCN, Université de Caen), Ana Reutimann (psychologue, Centre Hospitalier Robert Bisson, Lisieux) & Marie Anquetil (docteure en psychologie, LPCN, Université de Caen).

Abstract
In western societies, sensory awakening neglects olfaction, despite its essential role in feeding, danger avoidance and overall development. Some studies report olfactory performances in young children from birth. Scarce studies further show that young children can pay attention to olfactory stimuli when invited to do so. However, how an awakening olfaction intervention promotes the early development of early olfactory skills has not been described yet. This is the aim of the present pilot study of the EVOLF project, carried out in a nursery from Normandy (France).

A follow-up of 13 children (7 males) from 16 to 42 months (M= 31 ± 10 months) began after obtaining written ethical agreements, as well as parental permission. The children were videotaped facing natural scented objects presented successively, during 3 phases : before, during and after an olfactory awakening intervention. Using The Observer® XT17 (Noldus), two independent observers annotated, in number and duration, the actions of smelling and looking at the object immediately after odorant detection, that reveals a conscious olfactory detection. They also recorded the duration of behavioural inhibition. The observations were reliable (k> 0.8).

Wilcoxon tests, comparing the target behaviours displayed during various phases, were first calculated to estimate the impact of the intervention. But, since we were unable to recruit a control group with similar characteristics than those of the group awaken, and because only 9 children were followed-up until the end, individual developmental trajectories were also compared.

The results revealed a significant change in olfactory exploration during and after olfactory awakening (p<0.05). However, individual developmental trajectories varied. Inhibited children did not explore odorants. This pilot study proves that early olfactory awakening allows the emergence of conscious olfactory skills, but also that behavioural inhibition blocks children’s cognitive engagement.

Financial support from CapEnfants® and LPCN (UR 7452 ).

Programme congrès

Programme SCOPE LPCN
