I know we are not supposed to use homework on here, but yesterday i wrote a research proposal on the effect gesturing has on memory recall....and i found out some pretty cool things.
As it turns out, when people move their hands as they talk, they actually can remember more about their conversation later on. The same goes for when others use hand gestures as they talk to you, you remember more of what they said later on.
Even more interesting, is that it is not limited to representational hand gestures (gestures used to represent something like spreading your hands far apart when you mention how big something was.) But, beat gestures, or spontaneous gestures (any gesture you do unconsciously, such as playing with your hair or swinging your feet) actually help later memory recall as well.
The theory is that because moving while talking or listening makes the speech more active, it is easier to recall later on.
When adults use representational hand gestures when talking to young children it also helps them understand more complex ideas and instructions, and it helps with quicker language acquisition because they can understand the hand gesture that accompanies a novel word and figure out the meaning.
So..... Talking with your hands....turns out is a really helpful thing. Sorry Mom that i frequently tease you for your elaborate and constant hand gestures.... despite how humorous they may appear. Also, when you would never let me doodle during seminary and i told you it helped me remember the information later on....and you said that was ridiculous... well it has been scientifically proven that it did help me. :)
