Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language

Manuela Macedonia; Kirsten Bergmann; Friedrich Roithmayr

doi:doi:10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15

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Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language

Manuela Macedonia, Kirsten Bergmann, Friedrich Roithmayr

Published in Science Journal of Education (Volume 2, Issue 5)

Received: 13 October 2014 Accepted: 28 October 2014 Published: 10 November 2014

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Abstract

Pedagogical agents (PAs) are virtual characters in computer-based learning environments. PAs can train humans in various domains. Here, a PA cues subjects to learn vocabulary items through enactment, i.e., to perform an illustrative gesture while learning a word. It is well known that enactment impacts memory. Also, imitation is a natural mechanism driving learning. Combining both enactment and imitation could improve memory even more. In a within-subjects study, 44 school children learned 45 vocabulary items according to three conditions: an audio-visual baseline, an observation condition (participants watched the PA during enactment) and an imitation condition (participants imitated the PA’s gestures). We documented learning progress by cued recall tests. Over four days, we found that, compared to the baseline and to mere observation, imitation of enactment significantly enhanced memory for words in the foreign language.

Published in	Science Journal of Education (Volume 2, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15
Page(s)	162-169
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Pedagogical Agent, Multilingualism, Imitation, Enactment, Gestures, Memory

References

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APA Style

Manuela Macedonia, Kirsten Bergmann, Friedrich Roithmayr. (2014). Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language. Science Journal of Education, 2(5), 162-169. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15

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ACS Style

Manuela Macedonia; Kirsten Bergmann; Friedrich Roithmayr. Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language. Sci. J. Educ. 2014, 2(5), 162-169. doi: 10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15

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AMA Style

Manuela Macedonia, Kirsten Bergmann, Friedrich Roithmayr. Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language. Sci J Educ. 2014;2(5):162-169. doi: 10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15

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@article{10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15,
  author = {Manuela Macedonia and Kirsten Bergmann and Friedrich Roithmayr},
  title = {Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language},
  journal = {Science Journal of Education},
  volume = {2},
  number = {5},
  pages = {162-169},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjedu.20140205.15},
  abstract = {Pedagogical agents (PAs) are virtual characters in computer-based learning environments. PAs can train humans in various domains. Here, a PA cues subjects to learn vocabulary items through enactment, i.e., to perform an illustrative gesture while learning a word. It is well known that enactment impacts memory. Also, imitation is a natural mechanism driving learning. Combining both enactment and imitation could improve memory even more. In a within-subjects study, 44 school children learned 45 vocabulary items according to three conditions: an audio-visual baseline, an observation condition (participants watched the PA during enactment) and an imitation condition (participants imitated the PA’s gestures). We documented learning progress by cued recall tests. Over four days, we found that, compared to the baseline and to mere observation, imitation of enactment significantly enhanced memory for words in the foreign language.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language
AU  - Manuela Macedonia
AU  - Kirsten Bergmann
AU  - Friedrich Roithmayr
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DO  - 10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15
T2  - Science Journal of Education
JF  - Science Journal of Education
JO  - Science Journal of Education
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PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2329-0897
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15
AB  - Pedagogical agents (PAs) are virtual characters in computer-based learning environments. PAs can train humans in various domains. Here, a PA cues subjects to learn vocabulary items through enactment, i.e., to perform an illustrative gesture while learning a word. It is well known that enactment impacts memory. Also, imitation is a natural mechanism driving learning. Combining both enactment and imitation could improve memory even more. In a within-subjects study, 44 school children learned 45 vocabulary items according to three conditions: an audio-visual baseline, an observation condition (participants watched the PA during enactment) and an imitation condition (participants imitated the PA’s gestures). We documented learning progress by cued recall tests. Over four days, we found that, compared to the baseline and to mere observation, imitation of enactment significantly enhanced memory for words in the foreign language.
VL  - 2
IS  - 5
ER  -

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Author Information

Manuela Macedonia

Department for Information Systems, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria ; Research Group Neural Mechanisms of Human Communication, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
Kirsten Bergmann

SFB 673, CITEC, Bielefeld University, Germany
Friedrich Roithmayr

Department for Information Systems, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria

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APA Style

Manuela Macedonia, Kirsten Bergmann, Friedrich Roithmayr. (2014). Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language. Science Journal of Education, 2(5), 162-169. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15

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ACS Style

Manuela Macedonia; Kirsten Bergmann; Friedrich Roithmayr. Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language. Sci. J. Educ. 2014, 2(5), 162-169. doi: 10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15

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AMA Style

Manuela Macedonia, Kirsten Bergmann, Friedrich Roithmayr. Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language. Sci J Educ. 2014;2(5):162-169. doi: 10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15,
  author = {Manuela Macedonia and Kirsten Bergmann and Friedrich Roithmayr},
  title = {Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language},
  journal = {Science Journal of Education},
  volume = {2},
  number = {5},
  pages = {162-169},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjedu.20140205.15},
  abstract = {Pedagogical agents (PAs) are virtual characters in computer-based learning environments. PAs can train humans in various domains. Here, a PA cues subjects to learn vocabulary items through enactment, i.e., to perform an illustrative gesture while learning a word. It is well known that enactment impacts memory. Also, imitation is a natural mechanism driving learning. Combining both enactment and imitation could improve memory even more. In a within-subjects study, 44 school children learned 45 vocabulary items according to three conditions: an audio-visual baseline, an observation condition (participants watched the PA during enactment) and an imitation condition (participants imitated the PA’s gestures). We documented learning progress by cued recall tests. Over four days, we found that, compared to the baseline and to mere observation, imitation of enactment significantly enhanced memory for words in the foreign language.},
 year = {2014}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Imitation of a Pedagogical Agent’s Gestures Enhances Memory for Words in Second Language
AU  - Manuela Macedonia
AU  - Kirsten Bergmann
AU  - Friedrich Roithmayr
Y1  - 2014/11/10
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15
T2  - Science Journal of Education
JF  - Science Journal of Education
JO  - Science Journal of Education
SP  - 162
EP  - 169
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2329-0897
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjedu.20140205.15
AB  - Pedagogical agents (PAs) are virtual characters in computer-based learning environments. PAs can train humans in various domains. Here, a PA cues subjects to learn vocabulary items through enactment, i.e., to perform an illustrative gesture while learning a word. It is well known that enactment impacts memory. Also, imitation is a natural mechanism driving learning. Combining both enactment and imitation could improve memory even more. In a within-subjects study, 44 school children learned 45 vocabulary items according to three conditions: an audio-visual baseline, an observation condition (participants watched the PA during enactment) and an imitation condition (participants imitated the PA’s gestures). We documented learning progress by cued recall tests. Over four days, we found that, compared to the baseline and to mere observation, imitation of enactment significantly enhanced memory for words in the foreign language.
VL  - 2
IS  - 5
ER  -

Copy | Download