Gesture and Speech Input are Interlocking Pieces: The Development of Children’s Jigsaw Puzzle Assembly Ability
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Spatial reasoning ability is enhanced by spatial activities and spatial language.Spatial games (e.g., block building, assembling jigsaw puzzles) are often accompanied by spatial language, which, in turn, is often accompanied by co-speech gesture.Here we investigate the effects of spatial language and gesture in the context of puzzle play in improving preschool children's puzzle assembly ability.We do this by conducting a training study in which we independently manipulate the presence of spatial language and the presence of gesture in the context of four jigsaw puzzle training sessions.Our findings show that providing co-speech gesture along with spatial language is particularly effective in improving children's ability to put together puzzles on their own.
Authors: Christopher Young, Erica A. Cartmill, Susan C. Levine, Susan Goldin‐Meadow
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2394700117