Compatibility effect paradigms are an important behavioral method for investigating embodied accounts of language comprehension. The core assumption of these paradigms is that there is (in)compatibility between sensorimotor features of the linguistic stimuli and the action physically performed to make responses during the experiment. Key elements of embodied theories have been developed and probed using compatibility effect paradigms. Significant compatibility effects (faster and more accurate responses in compatible versus incompatible trials) have been found across various meaning dimensions (e.g., toward–away, clockwise–counterclockwise, precision–power grip, up–down), using diverse motor responses and linguistic stimuli (e.g., nouns, verbs, word pairs, and sentences).

Although compatibility effect paradigms remain popular in the literature, a growing body of literature has questioned whether embodied compatibility effects can be reliably observed. Variations in experiment parameters such as timing, salience, or task difficulty have been shown to influence both the occurrence and the magnitude of these effects.

The meta-analysis aims at systematically compiling studies on motor compatibility effects within the context of embodied language processing. Offering insights into the range of existing compatibility studies. In addition to aggregating overall effect sizes, the project explores the moderating roles of experimental features across different meaning dimensions.