Question

which of these stimuli is more likely to bring about a reaction from you: the sound of ringing telephone or the smell escaping from a bakery?why?

Answer 1

The sound of a ringing telephone is more likely to bring about a reaction from me.

A ringing telephone has some sort of urgency to it: someone wants or needs to speak to me. It might be good or bad news, it might just be an old friend or relative who wants to chat... It's a sound that makes me curious. I want to know who it is and what that person has to say.

The smell escaping from a bakery is less urgent. If I'm hungry, it'll be more appealing. If not, even though it smells delicious, I will not be as inclined to pay the bakery a visit. It might even awaken some memories, still it's not likely to make me interrupt my walk to wherever it is that I'm going.