Immediate memory for mismatched speech and representational gesture acrossdevelopment

Two experiments examined how 7- and 8-year-old children, 9- and 10-year-old children, and adults process mismatched, task-related speech and gesture d ifferently as a function of development. Participants watched videotapes of children speaking and gesturing about the concept of conservation. Using a recognition paradigm, we assessed immediate memory for information conveye d in mismatched speech and gesture. In Experiment 1, we used recognition of verbal statements to probe participants' memory, whereas in Experiment 2, we used recognition of gestural statements to probe memory. When probed wit h verbal statements in Experiment 1, 9- and 10-year-old children failed to retrieve gestured information. When probed with gestural statements in Expe riment 2, 9- and 10-year-old children failed to retrieve verbal information . In contrast, the younger children and adults showed retrieval of both ver bal and gestural information across both recognition methods in Experiments 1 and 2. These results suggest a U-shaped function with the 9- and 10-year -old children showing a limitation in the ability to process contradictory messages simultaneously conveyed in two modalities. Implications for identi fying a transitional period in the development of representational skills a re discussed.