Our research examines the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms that allow human language to support learning, focusing in particular on the relationship between gesture and speech. The goal of our research is to understand how the gesture-speech relationship changes between childhood and adulthood, how it enhances learning in diverse populations, and how it is abnormal in neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD. To achieve this goal, we use behavioral (video recording, eyetracking) and neuroscientific (EEG, MEG, fNIRS) techniques to study how the gesture-speech relationship contributes to learning in both children and adults. We are recruiting Ph.D. students for 2024-2025. If you are interested in joining the Neuroscience of Education Research on Development Lab, please get in touch and come be a NERD!

When speech fails to convey information clearly, gesture provides an alternative channel through which information can be conveyed. How do teachers use gesture to convey information, and how do learners integrate it with speech to understand this information? Our research shows that different types of gestures convey different information, and that gesture comprehension and production are closely related in learning.

Although many learners integrate speech and gesture effortlessly, people with disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty using gesture to facilitate learning. How does the function and structure of the brain differ in ASD, and why do these neurodevelopmental differences result in impairments in gesture-speech integration and learning? Our research shows that brain regions responsible for coordinating the timing and meaning of gesture and speech play a key role in these deficiencies.

Like all other aspects of language, gesture develops significantly between childhood and adulthood. How does this development affect children's ability to use gesture to learn concepts effectively? Our research shows that children can interpret some types of gesture (iconic and deictic) effectively, but that they have difficulty interpreting other types of gesture (beat), affecting the efficacy of their learning.