Hand gestures are abundantly used during communication. Beyond their communicative functions, gestures also serve speaker-oriented cognitive functions. Gestures, as embodied representational tools, enable people to externalize internal cognitive operations into a physical space where they can be manipulated or indexed. Using hand gestures supports working memory by helping speakers maintain and manipulate visuospatial information. Given this, the present study aims to investigate the role of hand gestures in working memory processes during language production in a spatial (i.e., navigational) context.

Specifically, we will examine whether and how (1) speakers employ hand gestures to manage their internal cognitive load across varying working memory load conditions (i.e., when the to-be-told stimulus is present vs. absent), and (2) speakers' own cognitive resources (i.e., verbal and visual-spatial working memory capacity) interact with this process. This research is ongoing, with data collection still in progress. We will present preliminary findings at the conference. We will collect data from 55 native Turkish speakers, aged between 18 and 35. Participants will explain some routes depicted on different maps under two different conditions: when the map is absent during route description (describing from memory) vs. when the map is present in front of them during route description. We will examine speakers’ iconic gesture use. Furthermore, participants' verbal and visuospatial WM capacities will be measured through digit span and Corsi block-tapping task, respectively, to examine how speakers' cognitive constraints interact with the task demands. The present study aims to contribute to theories of embodied cognition and multimodal language production.