Gesture is more effective than spatial language in encoding spatial information

The present research investigates whether producing gestures with and without speech facilitates route learning at different levels of route complexity and in learners with different levels of spatial skills. It also examines whether the facilitation effect of gesture is stronger than that of spatial language. Adults studied routes with 10, 13, and 16 steps and reconstructed them with sticks, either without rehearsal or after rehearsal by producing gestures with speech, gestures alone, or speech only. For all levels of route complexity and spatial skills, participants who were encouraged to gesture (with or without speech) during rehearsal had the best recall. Additionally, we found that number of steps rehearsed in gesture, but not that rehearsed in speech, predicted the recall accuracy. Thus, gesture is more effective than spatial language in encoding spatial information, and thereby enhancing spatial recall. These results further corroborate the beneficial nature of gesture in processing spatial information.