Details in hand: how does gesturing relate to autobiographical memory?

Abstract

Gestures are an integral and inseparable component of speech and people frequently use gestures when retelling their autobiographical memories. This study investigates whether gestures are associated with the retrieval of episodically and phenomenologically rich memories and how this association changes during development. Thirty-five children and 46 adults were asked to report autobiographical memories. Then, they rated the recalled memories on phenomenological qualities. Episodic and non-episodic details of autobiographical memories and representational gestures produced during memory narration were coded. The use of representational gestures was positively correlated with the episodic details of adult memories; however, the same correlation was not present in child memories. The representational gesture use was not associated with the phenomenological qualities in both groups. Gesture use may be related to the retrieval of autobiographical memories, particularly in adults capable of reporting long, coherent memories.