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Related Concept Videos

Purposive Learning01:22

Purposive Learning

E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a bonus...
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
Associative Learning01:27

Associative Learning

Associative learning is a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology, wherein a connection is established between two stimuli or events, leading to a learned response. This process is critical in understanding how behaviors are acquired and modified. Conditioning, the mechanism through which associations are formed, can be divided into two main types: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, each elucidating different aspects of associative learning.
Classical conditioning, also known...
Statistical Significance01:37

Statistical Significance

Once data is collected from both the experimental and the control groups, a statistical analysis is conducted to find out if there are meaningful differences between the two groups. A statistical analysis determines how likely any difference found is due to chance (and thus not meaningful). In psychology, group differences are considered meaningful, or significant, if the odds that these differences occurred by chance alone are 5 percent or less. Stated another way, if we repeated this...
Nonconscious Mimicry01:13

Nonconscious Mimicry

Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
Behaviorism01:28

Behaviorism

The field of behaviorism was pioneered by figures such as Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner fundamentally shifted the focus of psychology to the observable and controllable aspects of human and animal behavior. This shift marked a critical evolution in the discipline, emphasizing scientific rigor and experimental methodology.
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Examining Gesture Production in the Presence of Communication Challenges
07:18

Examining Gesture Production in the Presence of Communication Challenges

Published on: January 26, 2024

When gesture does and does not promote learning.

Susan Goldin-Meadow1

  • 1University of Chicago.

Language and Cognition
|July 20, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Gestures reveal speaker knowledge and aid learning by improving communication and cognition. Proficient speakers use gestures to support their own thinking processes.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychology
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Gestures are a natural part of human communication.
  • Gestures can reflect a speaker's current knowledge state.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore how gestures influence knowledge acquisition and cognitive processes.
  • To differentiate the roles of gesture in novices versus experts.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of speaker gestures during task-based communication.
  • Observation of gesture-speech relationships in novice and proficient individuals.

Main Results:

  • Gestures can directly impact learner cognition and indirectly affect communication.
  • Proficient speakers' gestures support their cognition, unlike novices' gestures which signal knowledge.

Conclusions:

  • Gesture is a dynamic tool that can shape understanding and aid learning.
  • Gesturing serves distinct cognitive functions for both learners and experts.