Distributed Cognition and Gesture: Propagating a Functional System Through Impromptu Teaching

Abstract

On a beach in France, a lifeguard makes three attempts to teach a colleague how to use a wristwatch and the sun to find compass directions. Each attempt involves constructing and coordinating representations in multiple spaces: sand, surroundings, watch, and air (gesture space). Close examination reveals how the hands, eyes, and body construct and connect these representations and enact their coordination in a cognitive functional system.