The groove move: action affordances produce fluency and positive affect

In two experiments we show that the experience of processing fluency can be grounded in the motor system. We manipulated whether responses in a stimulus-response paradigm were congruent or incongruent with the orientation of graspable objects. Besides the typical affordance effect (Tucker & Ellis, 1998), namely a reaction time advantage for responses made with the hand for which it would be easier to grasp the object, our results reveal that such a visuo-motor congruence elicits positive affect when preceded by incongruent trials (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 demonstrates that individuals are aware of this fluency experience and can consciously report on it. Moreover, by manipulating the task contingencies, we show that the affordance effect itself can be modulated by the experience of processing fluency. Our results are in line with theories assuming a direct coupling between perception and action (Hommel, Müsseler, Aschersleben, & Prinz, 2001; Prinz, 1997; Smith & Semin, 2004).