Emotionally expressive gestures are associated with better retention than neutral gestures, and gesture and facial expression effects are complementary¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · theoretical r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? The review reports, citing Rzayeva (2025), that expressive gestures have been associated with better retention than neutral gestures in adult EFL learners. → Manuela Macedonia 2026 q2 i? The review reports, citing Rzayeva (2025), that facial expressions had a smaller direct effect on memory but increased engagement, and combined gesture plus facial cues were associated with greater word retention. → Manuela Macedonia 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Manuela Macedonia 2026¶

Manuela Macedonia, Lihui Hu, Brian Mathias. (2026). Why Some Gestures Work Better than Others: Toward a Model of Gesture-Supported Vocabulary Learning. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10222-8

q2 · i? · theoretical · r3

The review reports, citing Rzayeva (2025), that "“expressive” gestures have been associ - ated with better retention than neutral gestures". No effect size is printed in the review.

"Consistent with this view, “expressive” gestures have been associ - ated with better retention than neutral gestures (Rzayeva, 2025)"

Manuela Macedonia 2026 (2)¶

Manuela Macedonia, Lihui Hu, Brian Mathias. (2026). Why Some Gestures Work Better than Others: Toward a Model of Gesture-Supported Vocabulary Learning. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10222-8

q2 · i? · theoretical · r3

The review reports, citing Rzayeva (2025), a study of adult EFL learners: "Rzayeva (2025) found that gestures improved VL in adult EFL learners, while facial expressions had a smaller direct effect on memory". When combined, effects were complementary and associated with greater word retention.

"Rzayeva (2025) found that gestures improved VL in adult EFL learners, while facial expressions had a smaller direct effect on memory but increased student engagement and contributed to a more positive classroom atmosphere."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Observing gestures aids recall more when gestures provide complementary rather than redundant information (review attributes this to Austin et al., 2018) — related
• Matching modality by conveying complementary information through auditory and visual channels increases retention, transfer, and engagement — related
• Effects of agent nonverbal behavior depend on the task: facial expressions were valuable for attitudinal learning but detrimental for procedural learning — related
• Semantically congruent iconic gestures improve L2 vocabulary retention relative to meaningless or incongruent gestures — related
• Item-level retention advantage of a highly motionally salient gesture cannot be attributed to movement dynamics alone — related