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Gesture size affects numerical estimates in quantifier comprehension.

Alexandra Lorson1, Vinicius Macuch-Silva2, Christopher Hart3

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Gestures influence how we understand numbers. Outward hand movements when saying "several" lead people to estimate higher quantities compared to inward movements or no gestures.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Linguistics
  • Nonverbal Communication

Background:

  • Numerical magnitude is often conceptualized spatially.
  • Co-speech gestures, like expansive hand movements for larger quantities, reflect this spatial-numerical association.
  • Research has primarily focused on gesture production, not interpretation, of numerical expressions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if co-speech gestures influence the interpretation of imprecise numerical expressions.
  • To examine the effect of inward- and outward-directed gestures on the comprehension of the quantifier 'several'.
  • To test the hypothesis that gesture modulates quantity perception.

Main Methods:

  • Three preregistered experiments were conducted.
  • Participants observed speakers producing gestures (inward, outward, or none) while using the quantifier 'several'.
  • Comprehenders' quantity estimates associated with 'several' were recorded.

Main Results:

  • Outward-directed gestures (hands moving apart) led to significantly higher quantity estimates for 'several'.
  • Inward-directed gestures (hands moving together) did not significantly differ from no gesture.
  • Gesture significantly modulates the interpretation of underspecified numerical quantifiers.

Conclusions:

  • Manual gestures play a crucial role in the pragmatic interpretation of numerical quantifiers.
  • Spatial conceptualization of number extends to how gestures influence numerical understanding.
  • Findings have implications for numerical cognition, multimodal communication, and pragmatics.