title: Spontaneous gestures influence strategy choices in problem solving.
abstract: Do gestures merely reflect problem-solving processes, or do they play a functional role in problem solving? We hypothesized that gestures highlight and structure perceptual-motor information, and thereby make such information more likely to be used in problem solving. Participants in two experiments solved problems requiring the prediction of gear movement, either with gesture allowed or with gesture prohibited. Such problems can be correctly solved using either a perceptual-motor strategy (simulation of gear movements) or an abstract strategy (the parity strategy). Participants in the gesture-allowed condition were more likely to use perceptual-motor strategies than were participants in the gesture-prohibited condition. Gesture promoted use of perceptual-motor strategies both for participants who talked aloud while solving the problems (Experiment 1) and for participants who solved the problems silently (Experiment 2). Thus, spontaneous gestures influence strategy choices in problem solving.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W. Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, USA. mwalibali@wisc.edu
authors.forename: Martha W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Alibali
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.forename: Sotaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D011340:Problem Solving; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013997:Time Factors