Major
Psychology
Anticipated Graduation Year
2027
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with inattentiveness and lower working memory capacity, which can impair academic performance. Gestures, movements of the hands that express information alongside speech, help maintain attention and support learning. We investigated whether adults learn Japanese vocabulary more effectively through speech alone or speech+gesture instruction. Baseline and visual attentiveness were measured to explore interactions between attention and gesture-based learning. Spontaneous gesture rates were also measured to consider the implications of gesture production in learning. This study helps understand and develop gesture-related tools that can be particularly beneficial to students struggling with attention.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr. Elizabeth Wakefield, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Investigating the Impact of Individual Differences in Inattentiveness on Learning from Gesture
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with inattentiveness and lower working memory capacity, which can impair academic performance. Gestures, movements of the hands that express information alongside speech, help maintain attention and support learning. We investigated whether adults learn Japanese vocabulary more effectively through speech alone or speech+gesture instruction. Baseline and visual attentiveness were measured to explore interactions between attention and gesture-based learning. Spontaneous gesture rates were also measured to consider the implications of gesture production in learning. This study helps understand and develop gesture-related tools that can be particularly beneficial to students struggling with attention.
Comments
The authors would like to thank the research assistants involved in this project, including Tia Knuth, Ryan Sweeny, Teagan Petek, Joanna Argionis, & Halima Burke.