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Pointing: contexts and instrumentality
Although long heralded as a human species-unique gesture, pointing has now been demonstrated in numerous species of non-human animals. Many contemporary researchers argue that pointing for instrumental ends marks a different kind of psychological process from pointing to share attention as an end in itself. Thus, a large body of contemporary theory is built on presumptions about the hypothetical motivations underlying pointing. I will briefly outline some of the contexts and motivations in which humans point, and argue that virtually all human pointing can be interpreted in instrumental terms. If this is correct, then instrumentality, per se, cannot illuminate the evolutionary origins of joint attention.
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Publication status
- Published
Publisher
John Benjamins Publishing CompanyIssue
6Page range
181-197Pages
269.0Book title
Developments in Primate Gesture ResearchPlace of publication
AmsterdamISBN
9789027228482Series
Gesture StudiesDepartment affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
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- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Editors
Simone Pika, Katja LiebalLegacy Posted Date
2012-06-19Usage metrics
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