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Hemispheric specialization for nonverbal gestures depicting motion and space
I Helmich1, M Voelk1, J Coenen2
1Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, German Sport University (GSU), Am Sportpark Muengersdorf 6, 50933 Cologne, Germany.
Brain and Cognition
|April 27, 2021
Summary
The left hand is preferred for gestures depicting spatial relations, suggesting right hemispheric involvement. Conversely, the right hand is favored for pantomime gestures, indicating left hemispheric functions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Motor Control
Background:
- The right cerebral hemisphere is specialized for mental rotation tasks.
- This specialization suggests a potential left-hand preference for nonverbal gestures conveying spatial information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that nonverbal depictions of spatial information are preferentially executed by the left hand, thus being rooted in right hemispheric functions.
- To examine the hand preference for different types of nonverbal gestures related to spatial information.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with right-handed participants.
- Participants nonverbally demonstrated the movement of geometric objects (presented in left or right visual hemifields) into a final position.
- Hand gestures were evaluated by independent raters using the Neuropsychological Gesture (NEUROGES) Coding System.
Main Results:
- Pantomime gestures for rotating unstable objects increased, with a preference for the right hand (left hemisphere).
- Gestures for presenting spatial relations of stable objects increased, with a preference for the left hand (right hemisphere).
Conclusions:
- Hemispheric lateralization of nonverbal gestures is dependent on the functional depiction of the gesture.
- Left-hand use for spatial relation gestures suggests right hemispheric origin, while right-hand use for pantomime gestures suggests left hemispheric origin.
Keywords:
Hemispherical specializationMotor-cognitionPantomime gesturesSpatial relation presentation gesturesMore Related Videos
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