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Insights Into the Mental Imagery and Gestural Awareness Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses Fall 12-2-2015 Insights into the Mental Imagery and Gestural Awareness of Representational Gestures Produced in Everyday Talk: An Exploratory Study of Using Participants' Comments as Data Sue M. Wendel Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Communication Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Wendel, Sue M., "Insights into the Mental Imagery and Gestural Awareness of Representational Gestures Produced in Everyday Talk: An Exploratory Study of Using Participants' Comments as Data" (2015). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 2646. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.2642 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. INSIGHTS INTO MENTAL IMAGERY AND GESTURAL AWARENESS 1 Insights into the Mental Imagery and Gestural Awareness of Representational Gestures Produced in Everyday Talk: An Exploratory Study of Using Participants’ Comments as Data by Sue M. Wendel A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Communication Thesis Committee: L. David Ritchie, Chair Jeffrey Robinson Tanya Romaniuk Portland State University 2015 INSIGHTS INTO MENTAL IMAGERY AND GESTURAL AWARENESS 2 © 2015 Sue M. Wendel INSIGHTS INTO MENTAL IMAGERY AND GESTURAL AWARENESS i Abstract To better understand representational gestures used in everyday talk, this study explores the ways participants talk about their own mental imagery and gestural awareness, and how their comments affect analysis. Literature pertaining to representational gestures, mental imagery, gestural awareness, and self-report data provide the theoretical framework for the study’s design and implementation. Data is drawn from observations of two video recorded dyads engaged in everyday conversation, and four audio recorded interviews with each participant individually as they viewed and commented on selected video segments in which they had produced a representational gesture. Findings indicate that participants talked about mental imagery and gestural awareness in ways that were descriptive, explanatory, and self-reflective. They described their mental imagery in i) visual and motor terms, ii) as mental simulations, iii) as textural sensations, and iv) in linguistic metaphors. Participants talked about gestural awareness in terms of i) spontaneity, ii) intentionality, and iii) affective states. Taken altogether, participant comments suggest embodied cognition as a useful framework for analyzing and understanding representational gestures. Further, findings indicate that participant comments served to i) confirm, ii) clarify, and/or iii) expand my analysis, suggesting that participant comments can enhance understanding of mental imagery and gestural awareness in ways that could not be achieved by a researcher’s observations and analysis alone. INSIGHTS INTO MENTAL IMAGERY AND GESTURAL AWARENESS ii Dedication To every speaker’s expressive hands. “These gestures are a person’s memories and thoughts rendered visible.” McNeill, 1992, p. 12 INSIGHTS INTO MENTAL IMAGERY AND GESTURAL AWARENESS iii Acknowledgements I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to my thesis committee members: Dr. Ritchie, Dr. Robinson, and Dr. Romaniuk; and to all my professors who were part of the process that made the completion of this thesis possible. Special thanks to Dr. Ritchie for inspiring me, for his guidance, and for our lengthy discussions about the ubiquitous yet elusive representational gesture; to Dr. Robinson, for his valuable guidance, advice, and feedback, especially the technical aspects related to video recording and data collection processes; and to Dr. Romaniuk for the invaluable edits and guidance she provided after my defense. Thanks to the study participants, who gave of their time and provided the insightful data; to fellow Communication cohorts Molly Major, Lana Buckholz, and Sarah Martin, who offered their support and advice along the way; and to many friends and family members who cheered me on and kept me going, especially my sister Dr. Geralyn Crain who had gone through this challenging process herself. Finally, a special thanks goes to my husband Peter, for his never-ending inspiration, support, and his excellent set of editing eyes; and to my son and daughter, Max and JoAnna for, well, just for being everything. INSIGHTS INTO MENTAL IMAGERY AND GESTURAL AWARENESS iv Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. i Dedication ......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... iii List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Rationale for the Study .................................................................................................. 3 Purpose of the Study ...................................................................................................... 7 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................. 9 Representational Gestures ............................................................................................. 9 Iconic and Metaphoric Gestures .................................................................................. 11 Mental Imagery ........................................................................................................... 17 Representational Gesture Production ........................................................................... 19 Gestural Awareness ..................................................................................................... 25 Using Participant Comments as Data .......................................................................... 29 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 31 Chapter 3: Methods .......................................................................................................... 33 Qualitative Approach .................................................................................................. 33 Participants .................................................................................................................. 34 Data Collection ............................................................................................................ 36 Pilot Study ................................................................................................................... 41 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 42 Validity and Reliability ............................................................................................... 45 Chapter 4: Findings .......................................................................................................... 48 Sam: Of Trombones, Derives Stuff, Refresh Buttons, and Timelines ........................ 49 Mary: (The Texture) Of Nitpicking, Data, Regrets, and Money ................................. 61 Melanie: Of Skinny Houses, Snow Pants, and a Carrot .............................................. 70 INSIGHTS INTO MENTAL IMAGERY AND GESTURAL AWARENESS v Tami: Of Snow Patting, Sprung Up, Volunteers, and Pamphlets ............................... 76 Chapter 5: Discussion & Conclusion ............................................................................... 86 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 86 Implications ................................................................................................................. 91 Limitations................................................................................................................... 94 Future Research ........................................................................................................... 98 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 100 References ...................................................................................................................... 101 Appendix A: Initial Contact Letter ................................................................................ 109 Appendix B: Confirmation Letter .................................................................................. 110 Appendix C: Informed Consent Form ..........................................................................
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