Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
07:18
Examining Gesture Production in the Presence of Communication Challenges
Published on: January 26, 2024
Spontaneous gestures influence strategy choices in problem solving.
Martha W Alibali1, Robert C Spencer, Lucy Knox
1Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W. Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, USA. mwalibali@wisc.edu
Psychological Science
|August 5, 2011
Summary
Spontaneous gestures play a functional role in problem solving by highlighting perceptual-motor information. Allowing gestures increased the use of these strategies compared to prohibiting them.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Gestures are often considered byproducts of cognitive processes.
- The functional role of gestures in problem-solving remains an active area of research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether spontaneous gestures play a functional role in problem solving.
- To determine if gestures influence the selection of problem-solving strategies.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted where participants solved gear-movement prediction problems.
- Participants were assigned to conditions where gesture was either allowed or prohibited.
- Problem-solving strategies (perceptual-motor vs. abstract) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Participants in the gesture-allowed condition were more likely to employ perceptual-motor strategies.
- This effect was observed regardless of whether participants verbalized their thought process.
- Spontaneous gestures promoted the use of perceptual-motor strategies.
Conclusions:
- Gestures are not merely reflections of problem-solving but actively influence strategy selection.
- Highlighting and structuring perceptual-motor information through gestures facilitates their use in problem-solving.
- Findings suggest a functional role for embodied cognition in abstract problem-solving tasks.
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