The beneficial effect and possible mechanisms of observing gestures in mental rotation training

Abstract Prior research has shown that gestures can help solve mental rotation problems. Given that mental rotation ability is malleable through training, the current study aims to explore the beneficial effect of observing gestures on improving mental rotation abilities and the possible underlying mechanism of this effect. We conducted two experiments using a pretest-training-posttest design. Experiment 1 showed that participants in the speech-plus-gesture group improved more than those in the speech-only group, demonstrating that observing gestures has a beneficial role in mental rotation training. Experiment 2 revealed that when performing a secondary movement involving the legs during video observation, the participants in the speech-plus-gesture group improved more than those in the speech-only group. However, no significant between-group differences were observed when the secondary movement involved the arms. These findings suggest that observing gestures is beneficial for promoting individuals’ mental rotation abilities through the exploitation of the learner’s motor system in training.