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The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
Published on: February 19, 2018
The role of gestures in spatial working memory and speech
Ezequiel Morsella1, Robert M Krauss
1Columbia University, USA. ezequiel.morsella@yale.edu
The American Journal of Psychology
|October 2, 2004
Summary
Gestures aid speech by supporting spatial memory and directly assisting word retrieval. Hand-arm movements facilitate both spatial working memory and speech production, impacting lexical search.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
Background:
- Co-speech gestures are traditionally viewed as communicative.
- Emerging research suggests gestures may serve additional cognitive functions.
- Hypotheses propose gestures support spatial working memory or directly aid speech production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dual role of co-speech gestures in spatial working memory and speech production.
- To differentiate between indirect and direct mechanisms by which gestures might facilitate speech.
Main Methods:
- Participants described visual objects under varying memory and accessibility conditions.
- Gesture production was analyzed in relation to memory load and verbal encoding difficulty.
- Speech fluency was assessed during restricted gesturing conditions.
Main Results:
- Gesture frequency increased when describing objects from memory or those difficult to encode verbally.
- Participants gestured even when describing visually accessible objects.
- Restricting gestures led to speech dysfluency, irrespective of spatial memory demands.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the hypothesis that gestures directly impact spatial memory and lexical retrieval.
- Gestures appear to play a functional role beyond mere communication.
- Co-speech movements are integral to both cognitive and linguistic processes.
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