Representational Gesture, Pointing Gesture, and Memory Recall of Preschool Children

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of two different types of hand gestures on memory recall of preschool children. Experiment 1 found that children who were instructed to use representational gestures while retelling an unfamiliar story retrieved more information about the story than children who were asked to hold their hands still. In addition, children who engaged in some forms of bodily movements other than hand gestures also recalled better. Experiment 2 showed that a simpler and more basic form of gesture, the pointing gesture, had a similar effect on recollecting and retelling the details of a story. The findings provide evidence for the beneficial effects of hand gestures, both representational gestures and pointing gestures, on cognitive processes such as memory retrieval and verbal communication for preschool aged children.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Story in Experiment 1

• It was Monday morning and it was almost time for the animals on the farm to start their day.

• The rooster said, “Cock-a-doodle-doo” and woke up the animals.

• The horse said, “neigh” and ran in the field.

• The pig said, “Oink” and rolled in the mud.

• The sheep said, “Baa” and chewed on some grass.

• The dog said, “Woof” and played with a ball.

• The cow said, “Moo” and walked to the barn.

• The mouse said, “Squeak” and ate some cheese.

• The cat said, “Meow” and chased the mouse.

• The chicken said, “Cluck” and laid an egg.

• The duck said, “Quack” and went for a swim.

• Then the sun came up and the animals started their day.

• (Note: In the story, before introducing each new animal character, each previous animal character was always repeated.)

Appendix 2: Checklist for Experiment 1

Participant Number ___

Age of Participant ___

Gender of Participant ___

Condition ___

Order Recalled	Animal	Animal Sound	Animal Action
	— Rooster	— Cock-a-doodle-doo	— Woke up animals
	— Horse	— Neigh	— Ran in the field
	— Pig	— Oink	— Rolled in the mud
	— Sheep	— Baa	— Chewed on some grass
	— Dog	— Woof	— Played with a ball
	— Cow	— Moo	— Walked to the barn
	— Mouse	— Squeak	— Ate some cheese
	— Cat	— Meow	— Chased the mouse
	— Chicken	— Cluck	— Laid an egg
	— Duck	— Quack	— Went for a swim

Did the participant use gestures? Yes/No

Description of movements/actions (not hand gestures):

Number of animals recalled: ___

Number of animal sounds recalled: ___

Number of animal actions recalled: ___

Did the participant retell the story in the correct order? Yes/No

Appendix 3: Story in Experiment 2

“Buddy is Lost”

• Once upon a time, there was a dog named Buddy who got lost and tried to find his way home.

• First he went to the school with the blue roof. He ran around the school buses.

• Then he went to the playground with the tall slide. He chased after the kids who were playing there.

• Then he went to the lake with the boats. He barked at the swimming ducks.

• Then he went to the train station with the red caboose. He howled when the trains whistled.

• Then he went to the park with the tall trees. He chased after the squirrels.

• Then he went to the fire station with the loud siren. He tried to climb on the fire engines.

• Then he went to the grocery store with the big parking lot. He ate a cookie that someone had dropped.

• Then he went to the hospital with lots of windows. He watched the doctors take care of the patients.

• Then he went to the library with the tall flagpole. He chased after a newspaper that blew away in the wind.

• When he finally caught it, he was at his house with the big backyard. He ran inside and took a nap after his long day!

Appendix 4: Checklist for Experiment 2

Participant Number ___

Age of Participant ___

Gender of Participant ___

Condition ___

Order Recalled	Location	Location Detail	Action
	— School	— Blue roof	— Ran around the school buses
	— Playground	— Tall slide	— Chased kids playing there
	— Lake	— Boats	— Barked at the swimming ducks
	— Train station	— Red caboose	— Howled when trains whistled
	— Park	— Tall trees	— Chased after squirrels
	— Fire Station	— Loud siren	— Climbed on the fire engines
	— Grocery Store	— Big parking lot	— Ate a cookie someone dropped
	— Hospital	— Lots of windows	— Watched doctors take care of patients
	— Library	— Tall flag pole	— Chased after a newspaper
	— Buddy’s House	— Big backyard	— Ran inside to take a nap

Did the participant use pointing gestures while retelling the story? YES NO

Number of locations recalled: ___

Number of location details recalled: ___

Number of actions recalled: ___

Did the participant recall the locations in the correct order? YES NO

Additional observations/comments: