Martha Alibali

Martha Alibali is a Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she also holds an appointment in Educational Psychology. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Chicago in 1994 and previously served on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University before joining the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Alibali directs the Cognitive Development and Communication Lab and the Interdisciplinary Training Program in Education Sciences at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Her research focuses on the interface of developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and mathematics education, with particular emphasis on how gestures produced alongside speech support learning and communication. She investigates gesture-speech integration in children, the role of gestures in mathematical cognition such as counting and fractions, and how visual and gestural representations influence mental models in educational contexts. Alibali collaborates on projects like the Fractions-Algebra team, exploring how embodied actions promote understanding of algebraic concepts.

Alibali has co-authored the textbook Children's Thinking with Robert Siegler, providing an overview of cognitive development. She edited the volume Why Gesture? How the Hands Function in Speaking, Thinking, and Communicating (2017). Key publications include 'The function of gesture in learning to count: more than keeping track' (1999) and 'Gesture-speech integration in narrative: Are children less redundant than adults?' (2015). Her scholarship has been highly influential, with over 16,000 citations, advancing understanding of embodied cognition in learning. Alibali received a WARF Named Professorship, recognizing her contributions to research and teaching. She has contributed to editorial boards and delivered expert commentary on cognitive development, mathematics learning, and gesture.

Professional Email: mwalibali@wisc.edu