Coding valence in touchscreen interactions: Hand dominance and lateral movement influence valence appraisals of emotional pictures (submitted study)

Research on embodied cognition revealed that hand dominance and lateral arm movements are associated with affective valence. The study presented here examined those findings with regard to interactions of the hands in a touchscreen environment. Particularly, it was investigated whether using the non-/dominant hand or performing a lateral movement would influence valence appraisals of emotional pictures presented on a touchscreen monitor. The results suggest that a match between the interacting hand, the positive or negative picture and the movement' starting side (i.e. right or left), reinforced the appraisals upon the pictures i.e. positive (negative) pictures were more positively (negatively) evaluated.