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Cited by 104Neurobiology of Language and BilingualismHearing Impairment and CommunicationSecond Language Acquisition and Learning

Gestures Enhance Foreign Language Learning

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Macedonia, Manuela, Von Kriegstein, Katharina·2012·Biolinguistics
DOI 10.5964/bioling.8931
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Abstract

Language and gesture are highly interdependent systems that reciprocally influence each other. For example, performing a gesture when learning a word or a phrase enhances its retrieval compared to pure verbal learning. Although the enhancing effects of co-speech gestures on memory are known to be robust, the underlying neural mechanisms are still unclear. Here, we summarize the results of behavioral and neuroscientific studies. They indicate that the neural representation of words consists of complex multimodal networks connecting perception and motor acts that occur during learning. In this context, gestures can reinforce the sensorimotor representation of a word or a phrase, making it resistant to decay. Also, gestures can favor embodiment of abstract words by creating it from scratch. Thus, we propose the use of gesture as a facilitating educational tool that integrates body and mind.

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Authors
Macedonia, M., & Von Kriegstein, K.
Affiliations
Max Planck Society (DE)
ORCID
Macedonia, Manuela
Venue
Biolinguistics
Publisher
Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID)
Published
2012-11-28
Volume
6
Issue
3-4
Pages
393-416
ISSN
1450-3417 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.5964/bioling.8931
OpenAlex
W1595361351
Cited by
104
References
157
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 4
FWCI
2.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Biolinguistics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Europe’s Journal of Psychology (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Hearing Impairment and Communication
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Second Language Acquisition and Learning
Keywords
co-speech gestures, foreign language learning, word memory, sensorimotor representations, embodiment, abstract words, multimodal neural networks, memory decay

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