Scientific investigations,metaphorical gestures,and the emergence of abstract scientific concepts |
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| Institution: | 1. Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People''s Republic of China, Beijing 100191, PR China;2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, PR China;3. School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China;4. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China;5. Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, PR China |
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| Abstract: | Where anthropological and psychological studies have shown that gestures are a central feature of communication and cognition, little is known about the role of gesture in learning and instruction. Drawing from a large database on student learning, we show that when students engage in conversations in the presence of material objects, these objects provide a phenomenal ground against which students can enact metaphorical gestures that embody (give a body to) entities that are conceptual and abstract. In such instances, gestures are often subsequently replaced by an increasing reliance upon the verbal mode of communication. If gestures constitute a bridge between experiences in the physical world and abstract conceptual language, as we conjecture here, our study has significant implications for both learning and instruction. |
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