title: Hand Gesture and Mathematics Learning: Lessons From an Avatar.
abstract: A beneficial effect of gesture on learning has been demonstrated in multiple domains, including mathematics, science, and foreign language vocabulary. However, because gesture is known to co-vary with other non-verbal behaviors, including eye gaze and prosody along with face, lip, and body movements, it is possible the beneficial effect of gesture is instead attributable to these other behaviors. We used a computer-generated animated pedagogical agent to control both verbal and non-verbal behavior. Children viewed lessons on mathematical equivalence in which an avatar either gestured or did not gesture, while eye gaze, head position, and lip movements remained identical across gesture conditions. Children who observed the gesturing avatar learned more, and they solved problems more quickly. Moreover, those children who learned were more likely to transfer and generalize their knowledge. These findings provide converging evidence that gesture facilitates math learning, and they reveal the potential for using technology to study non-verbal behavior in controlled experiments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Delta Center, University of Iowa.
authors.forename: Susan Wagner
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside.
authors.forename: Howard S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside.
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Duggan
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, Purdue University.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, Purdue University.
authors.forename: Voicu
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Popescu
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D011340:Problem Solving; D013663:Teaching; D014163:Transfer, Psychology
keywords: Animated pedagogical agent; Cognitive development; Gesture; Instruction; Learning; Mathematics; Nonverbal behavior