Abstract
Pedagogical agents (PAs) are virtual characters in computer-based learning environments. PAs can train humans in
various domains. Here, a PA cues subjects to learn vocabulary items through enactment, i.e., to perform an illustrative gesture
while learning a word. It is well known that enactment impacts memory. Also, imitation is a natural mechanism driving learning.
Combining both enactment and imitation could improve memory even more. In a within-subjects study, 44 school children
learned 45 vocabulary items according to three conditions: an audio-visual baseline, an observation condition (participants
watched the PA during enactment) and an imitation condition (participants imitated the PA’s gestures). We documented learning
progress by cued recall tests. Over four days, we found that, compared to the baseline and to mere observation, imitation of
enactment significantly enhanced memory for words in the foreign language.
Keywords: Pedagogical Agent, Multilingualism, Imitation, Enactment, Gestures, Memory
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 162-169 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Science Journal of Education |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Fields of science
- 303026 Public health
- 305909 Stress research
- 102 Computer Sciences
- 102006 Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW)
- 102015 Information systems
- 502014 Innovation research
- 502030 Project management
- 502032 Quality management
- 502043 Business consultancy
- 502044 Business management
- 502050 Business informatics
- 503008 E-learning
- 509004 Evaluation research
- 301401 Brain research
JKU Focus areas
- Management and Innovation
- Social and Economic Sciences (in general)