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Gesture as representational action: A paper about function.

Miriam A Novack1, Susan Goldin-Meadow2

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA. mnovack1@gmail.com.

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|September 9, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Gesture, or hand movements accompanying speech, aids thinking and learning. While its production may involve simulated action, its function is distinct, supporting knowledge generalization and transfer beyond specific contexts.

Keywords:
ActionGestureLearningRepresentations

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Linguistics
  • Human Behavior

Background:

  • Gesture accompanying speech is a universal human behavior integral to communication.
  • Research has explored the mechanisms of gesture production, including the simulated action hypothesis.
  • Understanding the function (purpose) of gesture is crucial, complementing mechanistic explanations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a theoretical framework for understanding the functions of gesture.
  • To analyze existing literature within this proposed framework.
  • To differentiate the functional role of gesture from its production mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of gesture's role in cognition.
  • Literature review of studies on gesture production and function.
  • Development of a framework distinguishing gesture's mechanism from its function.

Main Results:

  • Gesture's function is not reducible to action, even if its mechanism involves simulated action.
  • Gestures serve as abstracted representations, distinct from concrete actions.
  • This abstraction enables gestures to support generalization and knowledge transfer.

Conclusions:

  • Gesture's primary function lies in its abstract representational nature.
  • This abstraction supports higher-order cognitive processes like generalization and transfer of knowledge.
  • Gesture's functional role extends beyond specific actions, impacting learning and thinking broadly.