As embodied cognition takes root in the cognitive sciences (e.g., Borghi, 2007), motor affordance factors become increasingly important to consider when designing experiments, selecting stimuli, and controlling sources of variance. Previous measurements of motor affordance factors have relied on subjective ratings (e.g., “Could you easily mime the action …”; Magnié et al., 2003). In the current study we used a behavioral measure—mime initiation latency (MIL)—the time that it takes for a participant to initiate pantomimes in response to photographs of manipulable objects. We found MIL was moderately correlated with conceptually related motor variables but less or not correlated with psycholinguistic variables (e.g., visual complexity) and conceptually unrelated motor variables (e.g., grasp use concordance). Results from correlation and regression analyses supported MIL as a behavioral motor affordance norm. Mime Initiation Latency for Object Photographs: A Behavioral Motor Norm.
