Sandra Lozano and Barbara Tversky:
Gestures aid both Communicators and Recipients
Abstract
Communicators explained a procedure so others could learn it, either free
to speak and to gesture or restricted to gesture. The procedure was
either how to get from A to B, using a map, or how to assembly a piece of
furniture, using the parts to assemble. To their surprise, their memory
for the procedures was tested. Recipients were shown videos explaining
the procedures with gesture and with or without speech; their memory was
also tested. Communicators who only gestured performed better than
those who could also speak; similarly recipients who saw videos of communicators
restricted to gesture performed better. The sequence of gestures formed
a narrative, with a beginning, orienting the recipient or showing the parts,
a middle consisting of a sequence of steps, and an end indicating accomplishment
of the goal. The superiority of gestures to speech may derive from
their compatibility with the procedures to be learned.
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