From touching to communicating

Gesture ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-267
Author(s):  
Viktoria A. Kettner ◽  
Jeremy I. M. Carpendale
Keyword(s):  
Index Finger ◽  
First Year ◽  
Diary Study ◽  
Developmental Pathway ◽  
Finger Extension ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
Finger Touch ◽  
Parental Responses ◽  
Answering Questions ◽  
Finger Use

Abstract Infants can extend their index fingers soon after birth, yet pointing gestures do not emerge until about 10 to 12 months. In the present study, we draw on the process-relational view, according to which pointing develops as infants learn how others respond to their initially non-communicative index finger use. We report on a longitudinal maternal diary study of 15 infants and describe four types of index finger use in the first year. Analysis of the observations suggests one possible developmental pathway: index finger extension becomes linked to infants’ attention around 7 to 9 months of age with the emergence of fingertip exploration and index finger extension towards out-of-reach objects infants wish to explore. Through parental responses infants begin to use index finger touch to refer in some situations, including asking and answering questions and to request, suggesting that some functions of pointing might originate in early index finger use.

scholarly journals What's the point? Infants' and adults' perception of different pointing gestures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebru Ger ◽  
Stephanie Wermelinger ◽  
Maxine de Ven ◽  
Moritz M. Daum
Keyword(s):  
Index Finger ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
First Year ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Spatial Cueing ◽  
Cueing Effect ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
Saccadic Reaction Times

Adults and infants as young as 4 months old follow pointing gestures. Although adults are shown to orient faster to index-finger pointing compared to other hand shapes, it is not known whether hand shapes influence infants' following of pointing. In this study, we used a spatial cueing paradigm on an eye tracker to investigate whether and to what extent adults and 12-month-old infants orient their attention in the direction of pointing gestures with different hand shapes: index finger, whole hand, and pinky finger. Results revealed that adults showed a cueing effect, that is, shorter saccadic reaction times (SRTs) to congruent compared to incongruent targets, for all hand shapes. However, they did not show a larger cueing effect triggered by the index finger. This contradicts previous findings and is discussed with respect to the differences in methodology. Infants showed a cueing effect only for the whole hand but not for the index finger or the pinky finger. Infants predominantly point with the whole hand prior to 12 months. The current results thus suggest that infants' perception of pointing gestures may be linked to their own production of pointing gestures. Infants may show a cueing effect by the conventional index-finger pointing shape later than their first year, possibly when they start to point predominantly with their index finger.

Walking, pointing, talking – the predictive value of early walking and pointing behavior for later language skills

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1228-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina LÜKE ◽  
Juliane LEINWEBER ◽  
Ute RITTERFELD
Keyword(s):  
Standardized Tests ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Communicative Skill

AbstractBoth walking abilities and pointing gestures in infants are associated with later language skills. Within this longitudinal study we investigate the relationship between walk onset and first observed index-finger points and their respectively predictive value for later language skills. We assume that pointing as a motor as well as a communicative skill is a stronger predictor of later language development than walk onset. Direct observations, parent questionnaires, and standardized tests were administered in 45 children at ages 1;0, 2;0, 3;0, and 4;0. Results show that both walk onset and early index-finger pointing predict language abilities at age 2;0, but only early index-finger pointing predicts language skills at ages 3;0 and 4;0. Walk onset seems to contribute to an initial increase in language acquisition without a sustained advantage. The predictive value of first observed index-finger points, however, is strong and lasts at least until age 4;0.

Development of Pointing Gestures in Children With Typical and Delayed Language Acquisition

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 3185-3197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Lüke ◽  
Ute Ritterfeld ◽  
Angela Grimminger ◽  
Ulf Liszkowski ◽  
Katharina J. Rohlfing
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Language Delay ◽  
Communicative Development ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
Second Year Of Life ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Gestural Input

Purpose This longitudinal study compared the development of hand and index-finger pointing in children with typical language development (TD) and children with language delay (LD). First, we examined whether the number and the form of pointing gestures during the second year of life are potential indicators of later LD. Second, we analyzed the influence of caregivers' gestural and verbal input on children's communicative development. Method Thirty children with TD and 10 children with LD were observed together with their primary caregivers in a seminatural setting in 5 sessions between the ages of 12 and 21 months. Language skills were assessed at 24 months. Results Compared with children with TD, children with LD used fewer index-finger points at 12 and 14 months but more pointing gestures in total at 21 months. There were no significant differences in verbal or gestural input between caregivers of children with or without LD. Conclusions Using more index-finger points at the beginning of the second year of life is associated with TD, whereas using more pointing gestures at the end of the second year of life is associated with delayed acquisition. Neither the verbal nor gestural input of caregivers accounted for differences in children's skills.

scholarly journals Electrophysiological and Kinematic Correlates of Communicative Intent in the Planning and Production of Pointing Gestures and Speech

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 2352-2368 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Peeters ◽  
Mingyuan Chu ◽  
Judith Holler ◽  
Peter Hagoort ◽  
Aslı Özyürek
Keyword(s):  
Index Finger ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Human Communication ◽  
Complex Interplay ◽  
Material World ◽  
Communicative Intent ◽  
Electrophysiological Data ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
Communicative Act

In everyday human communication, we often express our communicative intentions by manually pointing out referents in the material world around us to an addressee, often in tight synchronization with referential speech. This study investigated whether and how the kinematic form of index finger pointing gestures is shaped by the gesturer's communicative intentions and how this is modulated by the presence of concurrently produced speech. Furthermore, we explored the neural mechanisms underpinning the planning of communicative pointing gestures and speech. Two experiments were carried out in which participants pointed at referents for an addressee while the informativeness of their gestures and speech was varied. Kinematic and electrophysiological data were recorded online. It was found that participants prolonged the duration of the stroke and poststroke hold phase of their gesture to be more communicative, in particular when the gesture was carrying the main informational burden in their multimodal utterance. Frontal and P300 effects in the ERPs suggested the importance of intentional and modality-independent attentional mechanisms during the planning phase of informative pointing gestures. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the complex interplay between action, attention, intention, and language in the production of pointing gestures, a communicative act core to human interaction.

Transfer of supinator motor branches to the posterior interosseous nerve in C7–T1 brachial plexus palsy

2010 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayme Augusto Bertelli ◽  
Marcos Flavio Ghizoni
Keyword(s):  
Brachial Plexus ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Motor Nerve ◽  
Anatomical Study ◽  
Nerve Transfer ◽  
Posterior Interosseous Nerve ◽  
Lateral Aspect ◽  
Finger Extension ◽  
Finger Flexion ◽  
Finger Motion

Object In C7–T1 palsies of the brachial plexus, shoulder and elbow function are preserved, but finger motion is absent. Finger flexion has been reconstructed by tendon or nerve transfers. Finger extension has been restored ineffectively by attaching the extensor tendons to the distal aspect of the dorsal radius (termed tenodesis) or by tendon transfers. In these palsies, supinator muscle function is preserved, because innervation stems from the C-6 root. The feasibility of transferring supinator branches to the posterior interosseous nerve has been documented in a previous anatomical study. In this paper, the authors report the clinical results of supinator motor nerve transfer to the posterior interosseous nerve in 4 patients with a C7–T1 root lesion. Methods Four adult patients with C7–T1 root lesions underwent surgery between 5 and 7 months postinjury. The patients had preserved motion of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist, but they had complete palsy of finger motion. They underwent finger flexion reconstruction via transfer of the brachialis muscle, and finger and thumb extension were restored by transferring the supinator motor branches to the posterior interosseous nerve. This nerve transfer was performed through an incision over the proximal third of the radius. Dissection was carried out between the extensor carpi radialis brevis and the extensor digitorum communis. The patients were followed up as per regular protocol and underwent a final evaluation 12 months after surgery. To document the extent of recovery, the authors assessed the degree of active metacarpophalangeal joint extension of the long fingers. The thumb span was evaluated by measuring the distance between the thumb pulp and the lateral aspect of the index finger. Results Surgery to transfer the supinator motor branches to the posterior interosseous nerve was straightforward. Twelve months after surgery, all patients were capable of opening their hand and could fully extend their metacarpophalangeal joints. The distance of thumb abduction improved from 0 to 5 cm from the lateral aspect of the index finger. Conclusions Transferring supinator motor nerves directly to the posterior interosseous nerve is effective in at least partially restoring thumb and finger extension in patients with lower-type injuries of the brachial plexus.

scholarly journals From gesture to sign and from gesture to word

Gesture ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 172-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliyah Morgenstern ◽  
Stéphanie Caët ◽  
Marie Collombel-Leroy ◽  
Fanny Limousin ◽  
Marion Blondel
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Linguistic Sign ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
Formal Distinction

In this paper, we explore the issue of (dis)continuity between gestures and signs and gestures and words by comparing three longitudinal follow-ups of a hearing monolingual French speaking child, a deaf signing child (LSF), and a hearing bilingual (French-LSF) child. Our study indicates that the development of the same manual form (the index finger point) is influenced by the input children receive in the modalities they have at their disposal. Interestingly, the bilingual (French-LSF) child presents an intermediate profile as far as the number of points she uses is concerned. Our analyses do not enable us to differentiate pointing “gestures” from pointing used as a linguistic sign since we could observe no systematic formal distinction. But our study suggests that pointing facilitates the three children’s entry into syntax: pointing gestures or/and signs are more and more combined to words and/or signs, facial expressions, gaze, in complex linguistic productions and with more and more deictic and anaphoric values.

scholarly journals Goats follow human pointing gestures in an object choice task

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Nawroth ◽  
Zoe Martin ◽  
Alan G. McElligott
Keyword(s):  
Index Finger ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Capra Hircus ◽  
Middle Position ◽  
Object Choice ◽  
Pointing Gestures ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Object Choice Task ◽  
Pointing Gesture ◽  
Human Pointing

Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are extremely adept in interpreting human-given cues, such as the pointing gesture. However, the underlying mechanisms on how domestic non-companion species use these cues are not well understood. We investigated the use of human-given pointing gestures by goats (Capra hircus) in an object-choice task, where an experimenter surreptitiously hid food in one of two buckets. Subjects first had to pass a pre-test where the experimenter indicated the location of the food to the subject by a proximal pointing gesture. Subjects that succeeded in the use of this gesture were transferred to the actual test. In these subsequent test trials, the experimenter indicated the location of the food to the subject by using three different pointing gestures: proximal pointing from a middle position (distance between target and index finger: 30 cm), crossed pointing from the middle position (distance between target and index finger: 40 cm), asymmetric pointing from the position of the non-baited bucket (distance between target and index finger: 90 cm). Goats succeeded in the pointing gestures that presented an element of proximity (proximal and crossed) compared to when the experimenter was further away from the rewarded location (asymmetric). This indicates that goats can generalise their use of the human pointing gesture but might rely on stimulus/local enhancement rather than referential information. In addition, goats did not improve their responses over time, indicating that no learning took place. The results provide a greater understanding of human-animal interactions and social-cognitive abilities of livestock, which allows for the provision of enhanced management practices and welfare conditions.

scholarly journals EFEKTIVITAS PEMBELAJARAN BERDASARKAN MASALAH DALAM MENINGKATKAN AKTIVITAS DAN KEMAMPUAN PEMECAHAN MASALAH MATEMATIKA SISWA SMA

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-36
Author(s):  
Sumarti
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Minimum Standard ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Asking Questions ◽  
Answering Questions

During teaching and learning process, the students tended to be passive and the class was dominated by the teacher. This situation made the students’ activity in learning became low as they just memorized the concepts instead of understood them. This research was aimed at improving students’ activity and ability in problem solving in Math through problem-based learning model.This was a classroom action research which was conducted in two cycles. The data of this research was collected through observation sheet and a test. The data gotten then was analyzed descriptively. The result of the research showed that the use of problem-based learning model could improve the first year students’ activity and ability of problem solving in Math at SMA Negeri 1 Pekanbaru. Students’ activities in completing LKS, asking questions to the teachers and peers, answering questions from the teachers and peers, presenting the result of group discussion and drawing a conclusion had been in very good category. In problem solving, the percentage of the students who had gained the minimum standard of achievement (KKM) improved from 61,30% in the first cycle into 82,14% in the second cycle.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document