Chapter published in:
Why Gesture?: How the hands function in speaking, thinking and communicating
Edited by R. Breckinridge Church, Martha W. Alibali and Spencer D. Kelly
[Gesture Studies 7] 2017
► pp. 155–174

Chapter 7. Gestures highlight perceptual-motor representations in thinking

Abstract

Gestures are adept at expressing perceptual and motor information. In this chapter, we propose that, as representational actions, gestures both stem from and influence perceptual representations, in much the same way that action and perception more generally exist in an inextricable relationship. We review evidence that gestures emerge from perceptual-motor representations that are activated during thinking and speaking (Hostetter & Alibali, 2008). We then consider how gesture’s connection to perceptual-motor representations may play a functional role in strengthening those representations in the minds of speakers.
Published online: 26 April 2017
https://doi.org/10.1075/gs.7.08hos
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