title: Alignment effects in beer mugs: Automatic action activation or response competition?
abstract: Responses to objects with a graspable handle are faster when the response hand and handle orientation are aligned (e.g., a key press with the right hand is required and the object handle is oriented to the right) than when they are not aligned. This effect could be explained by automatic activation of specific motor programs when an object is viewed. Alternatively, the effect could be explained by competition at the response level. Participants performed a reach-and-grasp or reach-and-button-press action with their left or right hand in response to the color of a beer mug. The alignment effect did not vary as a function of the type of action. In addition, the alignment effect disappeared in a go/no-go version of the task. The same results were obtained when participants made upright/inverted decisions, so that object shape was task-relevant. Our results indicate that alignment effects are not due to automatic motor activation of the left or right limb.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Woudestein T13-50, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. roest@fsw.eur.nl.
authors.forename: Sander A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Roest
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Woudestein T13-50, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pecher
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Woudestein T13-50, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lilian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Naeije
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Woudestein T13-50, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zeelenberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D003297:Cooking and Eating Utensils; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Choice-reaction task; Go/no-go task; Simon effect; Spatial alignment; Stimulus response compatibility