How Gesture Protects Against Failures in Spatial Problem-Solving

Abstract

Student-generated gestures improve their spatial problem solving. Embodiment perspectives theorize that the mechanisms that underpin gesture’s role in spatial reasoning lie in the motor system. Some embodiment theorists, however, jettison working memory models while many information processing theorists assimilate embodiment into their working memory models. We therefore leveraged innovations in neuroimaging technologies to begin addressing this case of underdetermination of theory by data. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) we determined that students who learned to solve spatial problems successfully recruit brain regions associated with cognitive effort more so than students who learned to solve problems with non-gesture-based strategies. We discuss the theoretical implications for future educational research on gesture-based learning strategies.