Driskell James E, Radtke Paul H
Florida Maxima Corp., 507 N. New York Ave., R-1., Winter Park, FL 32789, USA.
Hum Factors. 2003 Fall;45(3):445-54. doi: 10.1518/hfes.45.3.445.27258.
Hand gestures are ubiquitous in communication. However, there is considerable debate regarding the fundamental role that gesture plays in communication and, subsequently, regarding the value of gesture for telecommunications. Controversy exists regarding whether gesture has a primarily communicative function (enhancing listener comprehension) or a primarily noncommunicative function (enhancing speech production). Moreover, some have argued that gesture seems to enhance listener comprehension only because of the effect gesture has on speech production. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which gesture enhances listener comprehension and the extent to which the effect of gesture on listener comprehension is mediated by the effects of gesture on speech production. Results indicated that gesture enhanced both listener comprehension and speech production. When the effects of gesture on speech production were controlled, the relationship between gesture and listener comprehension was reduced but still remained significant. These results suggest that gesture aids the listener as well as the speaker and that gesture has a direct effect on listener comprehension, independent of the effects gesture has on speech production. Implications for understanding the value of gestural information in telecommunications are discussed. Potential applications of this research include the design of computer-mediated communication systems and displays in which the visibility of gestures may be beneficial.
手势在交流中无处不在。然而，关于手势在交流中所起的基本作用，以及随之而来的手势在电信领域的价值，存在着相当大的争议。关于手势主要具有交际功能（增强听众理解）还是主要具有非交际功能（增强言语表达）存在争议。此外，一些人认为，手势似乎只是因为对手语产生的影响而增强了听众的理解。本研究的目的是检验手势在多大程度上增强了听众的理解，以及手势对听众理解的影响在多大程度上是由手势对言语产生的影响所介导的。结果表明，手势增强了听众的理解和言语表达。当手势对言语产生的影响得到控制时，手势与听众理解之间的关系减弱，但仍然显著。这些结果表明，手势对听众和说话者都有帮助，并且手势对听众理解有直接影响，与手势对言语产生的影响无关。讨论了理解手势信息在电信领域价值的意义。这项研究的潜在应用包括计算机介导的通信系统和显示器的设计，在这些系统和显示器中，手势的可见性可能是有益的。
