Cited by 60Neurobiology of Language and BilingualismAction Observation and SynchronizationHearing Impairment and Communication

Gesture in the developing brain

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Dick, Anthony Steven, Goldin‐Meadow, Susan, Solodkin, Ana, Small, Steven L.·2012·Developmental Science

Abstract

Speakers convey meaning not only through words, but also through gestures. Although children are exposed to co‐speech gestures from birth, we do not know how the developing brain comes to connect meaning conveyed in gesture with speech. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to address this question and scanned 8‐ to 11‐year‐old children and adults listening to stories accompanied by hand movements, either meaningful co‐speech gestures or meaningless self‐adaptors. When listening to stories accompanied by both types of hand movement, both children and adults recruited inferior frontal, inferior parietal, and posterior temporal brain regions known to be involved in processing language not accompanied by hand movements. There were, however, age‐related differences in activity in posterior superior temporal sulcus (STSp), inferior frontal gyrus, pars triangularis (IFGTr), and posterior middle temporal gyrus (MTGp) regions previously implicated in processing gesture. Both children and adults showed sensitivity to the meaning of hand movements in IFGTr and MTGp, but in different ways. Finally, we found that hand movement meaning modulates interactions between STSp and other posterior temporal and inferior parietal regions for adults, but not for children. These results shed light on the developing neural substrate for understanding meaning contributed by co‐speech gesture.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2011.01100.x

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  • Both co-speech gestures and gestures independent of speech carry meaning that adults and children can access, regardless of the particular spoken or sign language they use.

    “Since both co-speech gestures and gestures independent of speech carry meaning that adults and children can access, regardless of the particular spoken or sign language they use [153,154]”

    From Support for parents of deaf children: Common questions and informed, evidence-based answers (2019) · cites this paper as [154]

    The Abstract (page unavailable) says adults and children glean meaning from co-speech gestures, and it discusses children's comprehension of symbolic gestures and pantomime. It does not establish that both age groups access meaning from gestures independent of speech, or that this holds regardless of the spoken or sign language they use. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Duvernoy HM 1991 The human brain: Structure, three-dimensional sectional anatomy and MRI New York Springer-Verlag
  2. Iverson JM Thelen E 1999 Hand, mouth, and brain: The dynamic emergence of speech and gesture Journal of Consciousness Studies 6 11–12 19 40
  3. Perry M Berch D Singleton J 1995 Constructing shared understanding: The role of nonverbal input in learning contexts Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues 6 213 235
  4. Sporns O 2011 Networks of the brain The MIT Press

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Authors
Dick, A. S., Goldin‐Meadow, S., Solodkin, A., & Small, S. L.
Affiliations
  • Florida International University (US)
  • University of California, Irvine (US)
Corresponding author
Dick, Anthony Steven
Venue
Developmental Science
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2011-11-02
Volume
15
Issue
2
Pages
165-180
ISSN
  • 1363-755X (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-7687
OpenAlex
W2127121621
Cited by
60
References
127
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 1
FWCI
2.57
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Developmental Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (F32DC008909)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS054942)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P01HD040605)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Hearing Impairment and Communication
Keywords
co-speech gestures, gesture comprehension, language development, neural development, posterior superior temporal sulcus, inferior frontal gyrus, posterior middle temporal gyrus, inferior parietal cortex, age differences, story listening, hand movement
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain, Brain Mapping, Child, Child Development, Female, Gestures, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neural Pathways, Photic Stimulation, Models, Statistical, Likelihood Functions, Comprehension

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