Gestures that Aid in Language Explanation when Recalling Memories

Abstrak

People remember actions better when they are asked to do them than when they are asked to talk about the same actions. However, when people talk, they frequently gesture with their hands, giving their words an action component. In this study, we wanted to know if making a gesture while speaking makes the information in the speech more memorable than it would have been without the gesture. Even when the amount of speech produced during encoding was controlled, we discovered that gesturing improved recall.Whether the speaker gestured spontaneously or was instructed to, gesturing during encoding improved recall. Thus, gesturing during encoding appears to facilitate memory in the same way that action does. In this paper, we investigate the possibility that speakers' gesticulations have an effect on the retention and subsequent recall of encoded information.The effect that gesturing has on recall during encoding has been the subject of very little research. In point of fact, the only studies that have been conducted examine naturalistic variation in gesture during encoding rather than manipulating gesturing during encoding. During the encoding of both concrete and abstract words, participants in one study were given the freedom to gesture on the spot.When the speakers were later asked to recall the words, either they were shown videos of themselves making gestures during encoding or someone else making gestures.