The Dissenter cover image

The Dissenter

#972 Susan Goldin-Meadow: Thinking with Your Hands

Jul 26, 2024
Susan Goldin-Meadow, a leading researcher in language development, shares her insights into the power of gestures in communication and learning. She discusses how gestures facilitate complex ideas and enhance memory in children, even among those who are deaf or blind. The conversation touches on unconscious biases expressed through gestures and how home signs evolve into formal sign languages. Goldin-Meadow also explores the impact of online learning on our ability to communicate through gestures, shedding light on their vital role in shaping thoughts.
47:03

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Gestures are essential for language development, as demonstrated by deaf children creating their own sign systems, proving innate communication abilities.
  • Incorporating gestures in education boosts cognitive processes, helping learners better understand and remember concepts by reducing cognitive load.

Deep dives

The Importance of Gesture in Language Learning

Gestures play a crucial role in language acquisition, as evidenced by studies on deaf children of hearing parents who, unable to learn spoken language, spontaneously develop their own sign systems using gestures. These children create forms of communication characterized by intricate structures and semantic meanings, indicating that they contribute to language creation rather than simply replicating what they observe. Their gestures allow them to convey complex ideas and emotions, demonstrating that gesturing can enhance cognitive processes such as understanding and memory retention. Ultimately, this highlights the innate human ability to create language through gestures, suggesting that gestures are essential not just for communication but for the development of cognition itself.

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
App store bannerPlay store banner