Gestures are a large part of effective communication. When speaking, many people unknowingly gesture to support their points. These gestures suggest information that speech alone does not have. Gesturing supports communication thus supporting learning. The gestures that individuals use can give insight to their learning and thought processes. Gestures provide an avenue into new interpretations and ideas, and this highlights the importance of understanding why we gesture, what message these gestures convey, and how they can support learning.
A study conducted by Elizabeth Wakefield titled, “Learning math by hand: The neural effects of gesture-based instruction in 8-year old children,” explores the connection between gestures and instruction in young students. Using fMRI, Wakefield and her team explored the neural circuitry that is associated with a child’s ability to solve and understand a mathematical problem. Two conditions were used, a speech+gesture group and a speech alone group. These students were between 8 to 10 years old, and they were randomly assigned into one of the groups. Each group viewed six videos that pertained to their group condition and were then asked to solve a math problem after an individual video, then completed a test after watching all of the videos. Wakefield et. al utilized eye tracking to collect data on the attention of the children. The researchers found that after completing the posttest, the children in the speech+gesture condition answered more problems correctly than the speech alone condition.
The fMRI utilized in this study showed that both groups had brain issues associated with mathematical processing activated, but the speech+gesture group had the motor region, the inferior parietal gyrus, and the horizontal intraparietal sulcus activated. All of these regions are activated when children engage in action-based learning which suggest that actions and gestures are somehow related. Ultimately, Wakefield’s study suggests that gesture has an impact on neural traces of motor activity and visual attention. Those in the gesture+speech condition performed better leading to the conclusion that gesture supports learning.
Columbia University is among many to utilize the power of gesture in analyzing people of power and their speeches. Notably, Donald Trump is an example of a speaker who uses excessive gesturing when presenting. Dr. Ronald Riggio has noted that Trump utilized 10 gestures frequently to communicate his message. An example of one is the “OK” symbol, showing a pinch between the thumb and forefinger. This gesture is understood to enforce the user’s precision and control of the statements they are making. Another common one is the “point” gesture. This is used to emphasize a statement or be accusatory; this often comes across as someone being too dominant. He is also infamous for using gestures to mimic others and their movements, such as mimicking the body language of his 2016 opponent Hilary Clinton in efforts to make her seem “stiff” and unqualified as noted by Kira Hall (2016). The gestures that Donald Trump uses make his speeches memorable, both to his supporters and his critics. This created a spectacle and allowed some of his viewers to deem him comedic, trustworthy, and knowledgeable.
Gestures are extremely powerful in communication. They play a role in learning and memory. It is a natural motion to many, and can be introduced into schools at a young age as shown in Wakefield’s study. Gestures carry on into adulthood and can be observed by many people in power. Therefore, it is important to study their origins and development in efforts to understand and improve our language processing.
Sources
Hall, K., Goldstein, D. M., & Ingram, M. B. (2016). The hands of Donald Trump. HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory,6(2), 71-100. doi:10.14318/hau6.2.009
Riggio, R. (n.d.). Understanding Trump's Non-Verbal Communication. Retrieved October 15, 2020, from http://www.columbia.edu/~st2839/midterm.html
Wakefield, E.M., Congdon, E.L., Novack, M.A. et al. (2019). Learning math by hand: The neural effects of gesture-based instruction in 8-year-old children. Atten Percept Psychophys 81, 2343–2353. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-019-01755-y
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