This presentation concerns a theory on how gestures (accompanying speaking and silentthinking) are generated and how gestures facilitate the gesturer's own cognitive processes.

Professor Sotaro Kita, University of Warwick, will present evidence that gestures are generated from a general-purpose Action Generator, which also generates “practical” actions such asgrasping a cup to drink, and that the Action Generator generates gestural representation inclose coordination with the speech production process (Kita & Ozyurek, 2003, Journal of Memory and Language).

Professor Kita will also present evidence that gestures facilitate thinking and speaking through four functions: gesture activates,manipulates, packages and explores spatio-motoric representations (Kita, Chu, & Alibali, 2017, Psychological Review). Further, he will argue that schematic nature of gestural representation plays a crucial role in these four functions. To summarise, gesture, generated at the interface of action and language, shapes the way we think and we speak.

Open to all.