Abstract
The present study concerns individual differences in gesture production. We used correlational and multiple regression analyses to examine the relationship between individuals’ cognitive abilities and empathy levels and their gesture frequency and saliency. We chose predictor variables according to experimental evidence of the functions of gesture in speech production and communication. We examined 3 types of gestures: representational gestures, conduit gestures, and palm-revealing gestures. Higher frequency of representational gestures was related to poorer visual and spatial working memory, spatial transformation ability, and conceptualization ability; higher frequency of conduit gestures was related to poorer visual working memory, conceptualization ability, and higher levels of empathy; and higher frequency of palm-revealing gestures was related to higher levels of empathy. The saliency of all gestures was positively related to level of empathy. These results demonstrate that cognitive abilities and empathy levels are related to individual differences in gesture frequency and saliency.
Highlights
ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between individuals’ cognitive abilities and empathy levels and the frequency and saliency of their gestures
The present study measured the associations between indicators of empathy and several cognitive skills and the frequency and saliency of three types of gestures, namely, palm-revealing, conduit, and representational gestures
We found that empathy predicted the saliency of all three types of gestures and the frequency of gestures with interactive function, that is, conduit and palmrevealing gestures, but not the frequency of representational gestures
Summary
The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between individuals’ cognitive abilities and empathy levels and the frequency and saliency of their gestures
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