Gestures Occur With Spatial and Motoric Knowledge: It's More Than Just Coincidence

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-49
Author(s):  
Autumn Hostetter ◽  
Elina Mainela-Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Arm Movements ◽  
Semantic Content ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Representational Gestures ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Gesture Production

Representational gestures are hand and arm movements that are related to the semantic content of co-occurring speech. In this review, we present evidence that such movements not only provide insight into the knowledge possessed by a speaker, but also provide insight into how that knowledge is represented. Specifically, gestures often occur with the communication of information that is understood spatially or motorically but that has not yet been verbally or linguistically encoded. Using gesture to convey such information can have a number of benefits for speakers, including facilitation of speech production processes and reduction of cognitive load. We focus our review on evidence from individual differences in gesture production among both typical and clinical populations, and conclude with a few recommendations for language therapists who are interested in using gesture as a tool in their practice.

Raise your hand if you’re spatial

Gesture ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Autumn B. Hostetter ◽  
Martha W. Alibali
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Spatial Visualization ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
Verbal Skill ◽  
Spatial Skill ◽  
Phonemic Fluency ◽  
Representational Gestures ◽  
Gesture Production

Individuals differ greatly in how often they gesture when they speak. This study investigated relations between speakers’ verbal and spatial skills and their gesture rates. Two types of verbal skill were measured: semantic fluency, which is thought to index efficiency with lexical access, and phonemic fluency, which is thought to index efficiency with organizing the lexicon in novel ways. Spatial skill was measured with a visualization task. We hypothesized that individuals with low verbal skill but high spatial visualization skill would gesture most often, due to having mental images not closely linked to verbal forms. This hypothesis was supported for phonemic fluency, but not for semantic fluency. We also found that individuals with low phonemic fluency and individuals with high phonemic fluency produced representational gestures at higher rates than individuals with average phonemic fluency. The findings indicate that individual differences in gesture production are associated with individual differences in cognitive skills.

scholarly journals Individual differences in encoded neural representations within cortical speech production network

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine L Alfred ◽  
Justin C Hayes ◽  
Rachel Pizzie ◽  
Joshua S. Cetron ◽  
David J. M. Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Semantic Content ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Production Network ◽  
Neural Representations

Individual differences in patterns of attention and thought can vary so greatly that two individuals presented with the same information may encode distinct representations. When presented with a stimulus to be recalled later, the information an individual encodes is dependent on the features of the stimulus to which one attends. Past studies have shown that, on the group level, verbal and visual information (e.g., words and pictures) are encoded in disparate regions of the brain. However, this account conflates external and internal representational formats, and it also neglects individual differences in attention. In this study, we examined neural and cognitive patterns associated with individual differences in attention to verbal representations—both external and internal. We found that the encoded neural representation of semantic content (meaningful words and pictures) varied as a function of individual differences in verbal attention, independent of the stimulus presentation format. Individuals who demonstrated an attentive bias toward words showed similar multivariate BOLD activity patterns within an a priori speech production network when encoding object names as when encoding pictures of objects. This result indicates that these individuals use a common process to encode meaningful words and pictures. These effects were not found for non-semantic stimuli (pronounceable non-words and nonsense pictures). Importantly, as expected, no individual differences in neural representation were found in a separate network of regions known to process semantic content independent of format. These results highlight inter-individual divergence and convergence in internal representations of encoded semantic content.

The Need for a Broad-Based Model of Phonological Disorders

1992 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan G. Kamhi
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Phonological Disorders ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Speech Delays ◽  
Explanatory Adequacy ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Assessment Procedures ◽  
Treatment Procedures

My response to Fey’s article (1985; reprinted 1992, this issue) focuses on the confusion caused by the application of simplistic phonological definitions and models to the assessment and treatment of children with speech delays. In addition to having no explanatory adequacy, such definitions/models lead either to assessment and treatment procedures that are similarly focused or to procedures that have no clear logical ties to the models with which they supposedly are linked. Narrowly focused models and definitions also usually include no mention of speech production processes. Bemoaning this state of affairs, I attempt to show why it is important for clinicians to embrace broad-based models of phonological disorders that have some explanatory value. Such models are consistent with assessment procedures that are comprehensive in nature and treatment procedures that focus on linguistic, as well as motoric, aspects of speech.

Self-Reported Sense of Smell Predicts Disgust Sensitivity and Disgust Reactivity

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 191-195
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Kelley ◽  
Adrienne L. Crowell
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Individual Difference ◽  
Olfactory Stimulus ◽  
Disgust Sensitivity ◽  
Sense Of Smell ◽  
Olfactory Ability ◽  
Good Proxy ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. Two studies tested the hypothesis that self-reported sense of smell (i.e., metacognitive insight into one’s olfactory ability) predicts disgust sensitivity and disgust reactivity. Consistent with our predictions two studies demonstrated that disgust correlates with self-reported sense of smell. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated, from an individual difference perspective, that trait-like differences in disgust relate to self-reported sense of smell. Physical forms of disgust (i.e., sexual and pathogen disgust) drove this association. However, the association between self-reported sense of smell and disgust sensitivity is small, suggesting that it is likely not a good proxy for disgust sensitivity. The results of Study 2 extended this finding by demonstrating that individual differences in self-reported sense of smell influence how individuals react to a disgusting olfactory stimulus. Those who reported having a better sense of smell (or better insight into their olfactory ability) found a disgusting smell significantly more noxious as compared to participants reporting having a poor sense of smell (or poor insight into their olfactory ability). The current findings suggest that a one-item measure of self-reported sense of smell may be an effective tool in disgust research.

The communicative import of gestures

Gesture ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisette Mol ◽  
Emiel Krahmer ◽  
Fons Maes ◽  
Marc Swerts
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Semantic Content ◽  
Animated Cartoon ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
Gesture Production

Does gesturing primarily serve speaker internal purposes, or does it mostly facilitate communication, for example by conveying semantic content, or easing social interaction? To address this question, we asked native speakers of Dutch to retell an animated cartoon to a presumed audiovisual summarizer, a presumed addressee in another room (through web cam), or an addressee in the same room, who could either see them and be seen by them or not.
We found that participants produced the least number of gestures when talking to the presumed summarizer. In addition, they produced a smaller proportion of large gestures and almost no pointing gestures. Two perception experiments revealed that observers are sensitive to this difference in gesturing. We conclude that gesture production is not a fully automated speech facilitation process, and that it can convey information about the communicative setting a speaker is in.

scholarly journals Individual concerns modulate Pavlovian-instrumental transfer for sexual outcomes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoann Stussi ◽  
Vanessa Sennwald ◽  
eva pool ◽  
Sylvain Delplanque ◽  
Tobias Brosch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Reward Seeking ◽  
Sexual Outcomes ◽  
Sexual Concerns ◽  
Instrumental Action ◽  
Current Concerns ◽  
Insight Into

Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning are fundamental processes helping organisms learn about stimuli that predict rewards in the environment and actions that lead to their obtainment. The interplay between these two forms of learning notably exerts a strong impact on reward-seeking behaviors. However, mechanisms modulating this impact are not well elucidated. Here, we examined whether the influence of Pavlovian cues on instrumental action for sexual rewards is determined by their relevance to the individual’s sexual concerns in humans. In two experiments, we manipulated the relevance of sexual outcomes in a Pavlovian-instrumental transfer paradigm by recruiting heterosexual and homosexual men and selecting sexual stimuli for each sexual orientation. Results showed that Pavlovian-instrumental transfer effects were enhanced in response to the cue that was associated with the most relevant sexual outcome to participants’ sexual orientation compared to the cue associated with the less relevant sexual outcome, thereby reflecting that inter-individual differences in sexual concerns modulated these effects. These findings suggest that motivational control of reward-related instrumental action triggered by Pavlovian stimuli in humans relies on inter-individual differences in current concerns and can extend beyond homeostatic needs such as hunger or thirst. This fosters further insight into the mechanisms underlying human reward-seeking behaviors.

Oh Darling, This Too Shall Pass: Cyclic Perceptions of Change Keep You in Romantic Relationships Longer During Difficult Times

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 1075-1090
Author(s):  
Emily K. Hong ◽  
Incheol Choi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Holistic Thinking ◽  
Relational Transgressions ◽  
Break Up ◽  
Difficult Times ◽  
Longitudinal Examination ◽  
Insight Into

The present research explored how individual differences in perceptions of change (cyclic vs. linear) influence relational decisions. Three studies examined whether cyclic perceptions of change, a central feature of holistic thinking, keep people in romantic relationships longer due to the belief that hardships too shall pass. Study 1 found that cyclic perceivers reported greater endurance against relational transgressions than linear perceivers. In Studies 2a and 2b, cyclic perceivers reported fewer breakups in romantic relationships (Study 2a) and showed less willingness to break up (Study 2b) than linear perceivers due to their stronger relational endurance. Through a longitudinal examination, Study 3 evidenced that cyclic perceivers were more likely to remain in romantic relationships than linear perceivers over 1 year. The current studies provide new insight into how individual differences in perceptions of change contribute to decision-making in romantic relationships.

What Influences Successful Communication? An Examination of Cognitive Load and Individual Differences

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 880-899
Author(s):  
Ester Navarro ◽  
Brooke N. Macnamara ◽  
Sam Glucksberg ◽  
Andrew R. A. Conway
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Successful Communication

Qualitative Methods in Rehabilitation Research and their Relevance to Rehabilitation Counselling Practice

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross Crisp
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Research Methodologies ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Insight Into

This paper discusses the potential limitations, and barriers to acceptance, of qualitative research methodologies. Qualitative research has been dismissed for consisting of small unrepresentative samples that limit the generalisability of findings, for lacking reliability and validity, for providing analyses that mask the individual differences that it purports to highlight, and for being too subjective. It was argued that these criticisms have to be considered against a different set of criteria to those applied to quantitative research. Moreover, the rationale behind qualitative research can provide rehabilitation counsellors with a better understanding of living with disability. This paper seeks to encourage rehabilitation counsellors to (a) gain insight into the different perspectives of persons with disabilities; (b) develop their clinical or knowledge base; and (c) be self-reflexive and critically self-examine their interaction with clients.

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