ABSTRACT
Neuropsychological approaches have been renewed by the advent of imaging techniques that gave rise to the discipline of cognitive neuroscience. The studies of language acquisition and of cognitive development more generally have attached more importance than in the beginning to the study of gestures. Gesture studies relates to several topics investigated in cognitive psychology. The most obvious one is that of speech production, which involves multiple components. Co-verbal gestures are motor actions, expressions of thought, social practices and can be studied from diverse complementary perspectives. Some philosophers have compared the cognitive development of the child and scientific endeavour. Children ask questions, are surprised, pretend, explore with curiosity, learn by observation, revise their ideas, and build personal theories. Nevertheless, according to Alison Gopnik, children are not like little scientists but instead scientists are big children. However, on gaining maturity they lose their naivety.
