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Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Gesture in Communication
Published on: January 26, 2024
What gestures reveal about cognitive deficits in Williams Syndrome
Marilina Mastrogiuseppe1, Sang Ah Lee1,2
1a Center for Mind/Brain Sciences , University of Trento , Rovereto , Italy.
Abstract:
Gestures have a central role in speaking and thinking about spatial information. The goal of the present study is to examine the function of gestures in Williams Syndrome (WS), a genetic disorder characterized by spatial impairments and a preservation of communication. The study's subjects were 11 WS individuals and 22 typically-developing controls who performed a narrative task. We analyzed offline gesture production and its relation with language and spatial information. Compared to the control groups, WS individuals produced more representational gestures that anticipated, supplemented, or gesture-only communication. Gestures produced by WS participants serve a compensatory role particularly in representing spatial contents.
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