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.
Highlights
Responses to objects with a graspable handle are faster when the response hand and handle orientation are aligned than when they are not aligned
Participants responded with a left or right key press to the object’s orientation. They responded faster when their response hand was aligned with the orientation of the handle compared to when their response hand was misaligned with the handle
No participants were excluded based on accuracy
Summary
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. An important aspect of the Simon effect explanation is that alignment effects should occur when responses are made by the left or right finger within the same hand As reported earlier, this had not been found by Tucker and Ellis (1998), which led them to conclude that the alignment effect is due to an automatic lateralized grasping response. Other studies have shown alignment effects for pictures of objects that have no graspable handle, such as clock faces (Anderson, Yamagishi, & Karavia, 2002) or animals (Matheson, White, & McMullen, 2014) These findings all argue against automatic activation of grasping responses as an explanation and suggest that the alignment effect might be better explained by abstract spatial coding of responses for the left or right
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