ArticlePublisher preview available

Gestures Enhance Executive Functions for the Understating of Mathematical Concepts

April 2022
Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science 58(4):1490-1500

DOI:10.1007/s12124-022-09694-4

Authors:

Omid Khatin-Zadeh

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Zahra Eskandari

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos

University of South Australia

This article discusses the role of gestures in enhancing inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility as the three components of executive functions during the processing of mathematical concepts that are metaphorically described in terms of motion events. Gestures can contribute to the process of inhibition by highlighting the relevant information and keeping the irrelevant information out of focus of attention. Gestures contribute to working memory in two ways during mathematical processing. They increase activity in the motor areas of the brain. Therefore, they may facilitate the process of understanding those mathematical concepts that are described in terms of motion event, as the motor system could play a role in the grounding and the processing of these concepts. Also, gestures can function as an external working memory and keep the visual representation of some parts of information for a short period of time in order to manipulate that information in later stages of processing. Gestures enhance cognitive flexibility by allowing us to have a spatial representation of that concept or idea for a period of time. During this time, we can shift our perspective and process that concept or idea from a variety of perspectives.

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Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science (2024) 58:1490–1500

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-022-09694-4

Abstract

This article discusses the role of gestures in enhancing inhibition, working memory,

and cognitive exibility as the three components of executive functions during the

processing of mathematical concepts that are metaphorically described in terms of

motion events. Gestures can contribute to the process of inhibition by highlighting

the relevant information and keeping the irrelevant information out of focus of

attention. Gestures contribute to working memory in two ways during mathemati-

cal processing. They increase activity in the motor areas of the brain. Therefore,

they may facilitate the process of understanding those mathematical concepts that

are described in terms of motion event, as the motor system could play a role in

the grounding and the processing of these concepts. Also, gestures can function as

an external working memory and keep the visual representation of some parts of

information for a short period of time in order to manipulate that information in

later stages of processing. Gestures enhance cognitive exibility by allowing us to

have a spatial representation of that concept or idea for a period of time. During this

time, we can shift our perspective and process that concept or idea from a variety

of perspectives.

Keywords Gestures · Executive functions · Mathematical concepts · Embodied

cognition

Introduction

The role of gesture in the processing of concepts has been the subject of a large body

of research (e.g., Johnson-Glenberg & Megowan-Romanowicz, 2017; Macedonia,

2019; Yeo et al., 2017; Radford, 2003). Some works have supported the idea that

gestures play a causal role in the process of learning new material and the develop-

Accepted: 9 April 2022 / Published online: 20 April 2022

2022

Gestures Enhance Executive Functions for the Understating

of Mathematical Concepts

OmidKhatin-Zadeh1· ZahraEskandari2· FernandoMarmolejo-Ramos3

Extended author information available on the last page of the article

Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.

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Where Mathematics Comes From: How the Embodied Mind Brings Mathematics into Being

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Gestures Enhance Executive Functions for the Understating of Mathematical Concepts

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