Experiment Study of Impact of Hand Gesture on Problem-Solving Process With ICAR Subscales

Wei, Luheng (2023) Experiment Study of Impact of Hand Gesture on Problem-Solving Process With ICAR Subscales. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

This study investigates the function of cothought gestures, particularly hand gestures, in the process of problem solving. Building on prior research suggesting the universal influence of gestures on cognitive functions, our study seeks to explore the potential facilitation of problem solving by cothought gestures. Additionally, we aim to identify the specific types of problems that may be more significantly impacted by this phenomenon. Drawing inspiration from the International Cognitive Ability Resource (ICAR) project, our study centers on four subtypes (verbal reasoning, figural analogies, number series, and three dimensional rotation) of issues pertaining to general cognitive abilities. Our methodology includes a convenient sample of four participants from Groningen, each exposed to two items of the four problem types each under conditions where hand gestures are both allowed and prohibited. And the impact of gesture condition were measured by two aspects named success rate and problem-sovling time. We posit that cothought gestures will influence the process of problem solving and seek to discern recurring patterns across different types of problems. We found that gesture condition has no impact on problem sovling time in terms of success rate, and very little impact in terms of problem solving time. Despite the lack of a substantial influence of gestures on problem solving in our pilot study, various factors could have affected the results. Challenges to the generalizability of the study include problems in gesture management, a limited sample size, variations in individual preparedness, and issues with the scale used. Our findings suggest avenues for future research, such as investigating further gestures, enhancing instructional clarity, and reproducing the study in various cultural and demographic contexts.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Jonge-Hoekstra, L. de
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	None [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	18 Jun 2024 08:26
Last Modified:	18 Jun 2024 08:26
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3410

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