title: Pointing gestures as a cognitive tool in young children: experimental evidence.
abstract: This article explores the possible cognitive function associated with pointing gestures from a Vygotskian perspective. In Study 1, 39 children who were 2-4years of age were observed in a solitary condition while solving a mnemonic task with or without an explicit memory demand. A discriminant analysis showed that children used noncommunicative pointing gestures only in the task with an explicit memory demand. In Study 2, 39 children who were 4-6years of age completed an attentional task with and without the possibility of pointing. An analysis of variance showed that only those children who spontaneously pointed to solve the first task performed significantly worse in a second condition where pointing was impossible. These results suggest that besides its social interactive functions, pointing may also subserve private cognitive functions for children.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Encarnación
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sarriá
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests