title: A continuous mapping between space and valence with left- and right-handers.
abstract: In this research, we examined whether emotional valence could correspond to a continuous lateral bias in space, according to a mental metaphor that establishes the mapping between a concrete domain (space) and an abstract one (valence). Because acting with one's dominant hand is associated with fluency and positive valence (the bodily specificity hypothesis, or BSH), we asked strong right- and left-handers to perform two spatial location tasks using emotional faces with seven levels of valence. We hypothesized and showed through two studies that, according to the BSH, extreme valenced stimuli (as compared to moderate and weak ones) would be located more at the extremity of a horizontal line, according to the correspondences between handedness and the different valences of the stimuli. This research establishes that spatial and continuous mapping of emotions was obtained while controlling for motivational direction.
authors.affiliation: U.F.R. STAPS, Université Paris Ouest, Nanterre La Défense, France.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Freddi
authors.affiliation: U.F.R. STAPS, Université Paris Ouest, Nanterre La Défense, France.
authors.forename: Thibaut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brouillet
authors.affiliation: U.F.R. STAPS, Université Paris Ouest, Nanterre La Défense, France.
authors.forename: Joël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cretenet
authors.affiliation: U.F.R. STAPS, Université Paris Ouest, Nanterre La Défense, France.
authors.forename: Loïc P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Heurley
authors.affiliation: U.F.R. STAPS, Université Paris Ouest, Nanterre La Défense, France. dru@u-paris10.fr.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dru
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019365:Metaphor; D013028:Space Perception; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body specificity hypothesis; Fluency; Handedness; Space; Valence