Nonverbal cue context and episodic memory: On the availability and endurance of nonverbal behaviors as retrieval cues

Abstract

Abstract Two investigations provide evidence that nonverbal cues (in this case, hand gestures) play a role as contextual cues in the retrieval of co‐occurring verbal messages. In the first study, type of hand gesture and processing strategies were investigated as possible determinants of message retrieval. Results indicated that the type of hand gesture was a major determinant of language recall. The second study investigated the durability and persistence of nonverbal cues in providing utterance retrieval. Results indicated that nonverbal cues provided retrieval of messages one week after exposure to conversational stimuli and that once again the type of gesture made a difference in the effectiveness of recall. Notes W. Gill Woodall is Assistant Professor of Speech Communication, University of New Mexico, and Joseph P. Folger is Assistant Professor of Communication, University of Michigan.