Learning Is Better with the Hands Free: The Role of Posture in the Memory of Manipulable Objects.

Grounded cognition proposes that memory shares processing resources with sensorimotor systems. The aim of the present study was to show that motor simulation participates in the conceptual representation of manipulable objects in long-term memory. In two experiments, lists of manipulable and nonmani...

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Main Authors: Léo Dutriaux, Valérie Gyselinck
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2016-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4944978?pdf=render
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author Léo Dutriaux
Valérie Gyselinck
author_facet Léo Dutriaux
Valérie Gyselinck
author_sort Léo Dutriaux
collection DOAJ
description Grounded cognition proposes that memory shares processing resources with sensorimotor systems. The aim of the present study was to show that motor simulation participates in the conceptual representation of manipulable objects in long-term memory. In two experiments, lists of manipulable and nonmanipulable objects were presented. Participants were instructed to memorize the items while adopting different postures. In the control condition, they had to keep their hands at rest in front of them. In the interference condition, participants had to keep their hands crossed behind their back to make their hands less free for action. After each list, participants had to perform first a distractive task, and then an oral free recall. The results showed that the interfering posture produced a specific decrease in the recall of manipulable objects, but not of nonmanipulable ones. This decrease was similar when the items were presented as pictures (Experiment 1) or as words (Experiment 2), thus excluding a purely visual effect. These results provide strong evidence that the motor simulation plays a role in the memory trace of the object.
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spelling doaj.art-6107d267244e4eb79eccbd2b7564be202022-12-22T03:15:34ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-01117e015910810.1371/journal.pone.0159108Learning Is Better with the Hands Free: The Role of Posture in the Memory of Manipulable Objects.Léo DutriauxValérie GyselinckGrounded cognition proposes that memory shares processing resources with sensorimotor systems. The aim of the present study was to show that motor simulation participates in the conceptual representation of manipulable objects in long-term memory. In two experiments, lists of manipulable and nonmanipulable objects were presented. Participants were instructed to memorize the items while adopting different postures. In the control condition, they had to keep their hands at rest in front of them. In the interference condition, participants had to keep their hands crossed behind their back to make their hands less free for action. After each list, participants had to perform first a distractive task, and then an oral free recall. The results showed that the interfering posture produced a specific decrease in the recall of manipulable objects, but not of nonmanipulable ones. This decrease was similar when the items were presented as pictures (Experiment 1) or as words (Experiment 2), thus excluding a purely visual effect. These results provide strong evidence that the motor simulation plays a role in the memory trace of the object.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4944978?pdf=render
spellingShingle Léo Dutriaux
Valérie Gyselinck
Learning Is Better with the Hands Free: The Role of Posture in the Memory of Manipulable Objects.
PLoS ONE
title Learning Is Better with the Hands Free: The Role of Posture in the Memory of Manipulable Objects.
title_full Learning Is Better with the Hands Free: The Role of Posture in the Memory of Manipulable Objects.
title_fullStr Learning Is Better with the Hands Free: The Role of Posture in the Memory of Manipulable Objects.
title_full_unstemmed Learning Is Better with the Hands Free: The Role of Posture in the Memory of Manipulable Objects.
title_short Learning Is Better with the Hands Free: The Role of Posture in the Memory of Manipulable Objects.
title_sort learning is better with the hands free the role of posture in the memory of manipulable objects
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4944978?pdf=render
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