Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Observational Learning01:12

Observational Learning

802
Albert Bandura's observational learning, also known as imitation or modeling, occurs when a person observes and imitates another's behavior. It is a quicker process than operant conditioning. A well-known example is the Bobo doll study, where children who saw an adult acting aggressively towards the doll were more likely to act aggressively when left alone, compared to those who observed a nonaggressive adult. Many psychologists view observational learning as a form of latent learning...
802
Non-Verbal Cues01:29

Non-Verbal Cues

253
Non-verbal communication extends beyond gestures and facial expressions to include vocal elements known as paralanguage. Paralanguage consists of non-verbal vocal cues such as pitch, loudness, speech rate, pauses, and non-verbal vocalizations like laughter, sighs, and moans. These elements not only accompany speech but also provide critical emotional and contextual information.The Role of Paralanguage in CommunicationParalanguage adds depth to spoken language by conveying emotions and...
253
Role of Shaping in Operant Conditioning01:19

Role of Shaping in Operant Conditioning

934
Shaping is a technique used in operant conditioning to train complex behaviors by rewarding successive approximations toward the target behavior. This method is necessary because organisms are unlikely to perform complex behaviors spontaneously. Instead, shaping breaks down the desired behavior into small, manageable steps.
The steps involved in shaping begin with reinforcing any response that resembles the desired behavior. For example, parents might praise a child for picking up one toy. As...
934
Observational Studies01:11

Observational Studies

10.7K
Observational studies are a type of analytical study where researchers observe events without any interventions. In other words, the researcher does not influence the response variable or the experiment's outcome.
There are three types of observational studies – Prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional.
Prospective Study
Prospective studies, also known as longitudinal or cohort studies, are carried out by collecting future data from groups sharing similar characteristics. One...
10.7K
Naturalistic Observations02:30

Naturalistic Observations

16.9K
If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...
16.9K
Causes of Social Behavior I: Actions and Characteristics of Individuals01:30

Causes of Social Behavior I: Actions and Characteristics of Individuals

257
The actions and characteristics of others heavily influence the causes of social behaviors. Emotional expressions serve as powerful social signals, shaping behaviors and interactions in significant ways. Whether through direct observation or subconscious processing, individuals constantly adjust their responses based on the emotions and attributes of those around them.Emotional Cues and Social ResponsesFacial expressions, tone of voice, and body language provide crucial emotional cues that...
257

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

ManyNumbers 3: A Multi-Lab Study of Demographic Correlates of Early Number Knowledge.

Developmental science·2026
Same author

Addressing Emotional Dysregulation Within NDBI for Young Autistic Children: Outcomes and Factors Related to Change.

Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)·2025
Same author

A Career Dedicated to Gesture, Language, Learning, and Cognition: Susan Goldin-Meadow, 2021 Recipient of the Rumelhart Prize.

Topics in cognitive science·2025
Same author

Teachers' Gestures and How They Matter.

Topics in cognitive science·2024
Same author

Using Causative Methods to Determine System-Level Factors Driving the Uptake and Use of Evidence-Based Practices in a Public Early Intervention System.

Administration and policy in mental health·2024
Same author

How Prior Knowledge, Gesture Instruction, and Interference After Instruction Interact to Influence Learning of Mathematical Equivalence.

Cognitive science·2024
Same journal

Executive function and preschoolers' responses to severe transgressions: implications for early forgiveness.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026
Same journal

Shared cognitive risk factors underlying rapid automatized naming deficits for the comorbidity of developmental dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A computational parameter estimation via Bundesen's theory of visual attention.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026
Same journal

Do young children understand the objectivity of reality?

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026
Same journal

Learning words by ear or by eye: effects of modality on lexical configuration and lexicalization.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026
Same journal

Thinking outside the Box: Causal uncertainty motivates children's over-imitation.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026
Same journal

Effects of parental intervention on children's English utterances and behavioral responses in video-based second language learning.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Gesture in Communication
07:18

Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Gesture in Communication

Published on: January 26, 2024

1.3K

Observing and producing gesture on shape categorization across learner characteristics.

Nicole M Hendrix1, Susan Wagner Cook2, Kristen N Missall3

  • 1Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|November 23, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Adding gestures to spoken instruction did not significantly improve early spatial learning in young children. Learning gains were linked to age and vocabulary, not the instructional method, suggesting individual differences matter most.

Keywords:
Early childhoodGestureInterindividual differencesSpatial skills

More Related Videos

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms
07:31

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Published on: February 8, 2019

7.2K
Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
14:38

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

12.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Gesture in Communication
07:18

Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Gesture in Communication

Published on: January 26, 2024

1.3K
Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms
07:31

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Published on: February 8, 2019

7.2K
Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
14:38

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

12.2K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Educational Psychology
  • Spatial Cognition

Background:

  • Early spatial abilities show interindividual differences based on factors like sex and socioeconomic background.
  • Task-specific tracing in instruction may support early spatial skills, but its effectiveness depends on child characteristics and existing strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate if observed or observed/produced tracing enhances shape identification learning compared to spoken instruction alone.
  • To determine if pretest/posttest performance varies with child characteristics.
  • To examine changes in spoken/gestured strategies and their relation to performance and condition.

Main Methods:

  • 121 children (44-72 months) received instruction on triangle/rectangle properties in three conditions: spoken only, observed gesture, or observed/produced gesture.
  • Children completed pretest and posttest shape sorting tasks.
  • Spoken and gestured strategies were analyzed from pretest to posttest.

Main Results:

  • All children improved in shape identification regardless of condition.
  • Performance improvement correlated with age and receptive vocabulary, not the instructional condition.
  • Trends suggested potential sex differences, with girls benefiting from producing gestures, while boys showed similar performance across conditions.

Conclusions:

  • Gesture is not universally beneficial for early spatial learning; its impact is moderated by individual child characteristics and the specific task context.
  • Instructional effectiveness in early spatial learning is complex and depends on a combination of factors beyond the intervention itself.