Reaction time as an indicator of stimulus‐response binding in affective judgment of visual stimuli1

Conventional studies on affective meanings have been conducted using the semantic differential technique. Although it offers reasonably valid and reliable measures for the bindings between visual stimuli and affective responses, it is dependent on subjective rating. Thus, the present study examined whether the reaction time (RT) of affective judgments for visual stimuli (color, shape, and facial expression) can be an objective indicator of the strength of stimuli‐response bindings. The results can be summarized as follows: (a) RTs for judging Evaluation were longer regardless of stimulus type; (b) RTs for Activity were shorter regardless of stimulus type; and (c) RTs for Lightness and Sharpness depended on stimulus type. These phenomena are consistent with the findings of previous affective meaning studies, suggesting that the RTs for affective judgments can be useful indicators reflecting the strength of the bindings between stimulus properties and affective meanings across various target stimuli and rating scales.