Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Examining Gesture Production in the Presence of Communication Challenges
Published on: January 26, 2024
Effects of ambiguous gestures and language on the time course of reference resolution
Max M Louwerse1, Adrian Bangerter
1Department of Psychology, University of Memphis Department of Applied Psychology, University of Neuchâtel.
Abstract:
Two eye-tracking experiments investigated how and when pointing gestures and location descriptions affect target identification. The experiments investigated the effect of gestures and referring expressions on the time course of fixations to the target, using videos of human gestures and human voice, and animated gestures and synthesized speech. Ambiguous, yet informative pointing gestures elicited attention and facilitated target identification, akin to verbal location descriptions. Moreover, target identification was superior when both pointing gestures and verbal location descriptions were used. These findings suggest that gesture not only operates as a context to verbal descriptions, or that verbal descriptions operate as a context to gesture, but that they complement one another in reference resolution.
More Related Videos
07:36Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
Published on: November 30, 2018
09:27Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language
Published on: October 13, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Language and Cognition
Non-Verbal Cues
Framing Effects