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Spatial analogies pervade complex relational reasoning: Evidence from spontaneous gestures.
Kensy Cooperrider1, Dedre Gentner2, Susan Goldin-Meadow1
1Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, 5848 S. University Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 USA.
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications
|February 10, 2017
Summary
People use spatial analogies, often through gestures, to understand complex systems like ecosystems. These hand movements reveal underlying thought processes even when not accompanied by speech.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Complex phenomena, such as ecosystem behavior, pose challenges for human understanding.
- Relational systems involve intricate interdependencies that are difficult to grasp.
- Existing research suggests various cognitive strategies for understanding complex systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether people use spatial analogies to reason about complex relational systems.
- To explore the role of spontaneous gestures in revealing these spatial analogies.
- To determine if spatial reasoning in gestures is independent of verbal language.
Main Methods:
- Participants read an abstract lesson on positive and negative feedback systems.
- Participants explained the differences between these systems.
- Spontaneous gestures produced during explanations were analyzed for spatial content and structure.
Main Results:
- Participants produced a high frequency of spatial gestures while explaining abstract concepts.
- Gestures represented simple relations (e.g., increase) and complex structures (e.g., negative feedback).
- Gestures formed coherent analogical models of relational structures, often without corresponding verbalizations.
Conclusions:
- Spontaneous spatial gestures are a significant indicator of analogical reasoning in complex domains.
- Spatial analogies are a pervasive, yet often implicit, component of human reasoning about relational systems.
- Gesture provides a window into cognitive processes that may not be fully captured by language alone.
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