Which has a greater cognitive impact, handwriting or typing? - Recent research

Illustration by M. Keany/AI

In a groundbreaking study published on February 8, 2024, in the journal "Frontiers in Psychology," researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology explored the cognitive impacts of handwriting versus typing on university students. This study, spearheaded by Audrey van der Meer, a neuropsychology professor at NTNU, and covered by Aria Bendix for NBC News Digital, sheds light on how these two methods of writing affect brain activity and, potentially, learning and memory.

The research involved 36 university students who were asked to either write words in cursive using a digital pen on a touchscreen or type the same words using a keyboard. The words were displayed on a screen, and participants had to reproduce them within a given timeframe. To monitor brain activity, the students wore caps fitted with 256 electrodes that recorded electrical signals from various regions of the brain, allowing the researchers to observe active areas and inter-brain communication.

The findings revealed a significant disparity in brain activation between handwriting and typing. Handwriting engaged almost the entire brain, necessitating a robust interplay between the visual, sensory, and motor cortices. This comprehensive activation is attributed to the process of visualizing and manually forming letters, each requiring distinct movement patterns. In contrast, typing induced minimal brain activation, primarily because the physical act of pressing keys requires less cognitive effort and less distinctive motor skills.

These results corroborate van der Meer's earlier research, which also indicated heightened brain activity during handwriting compared to typing in both children and young adults. Furthermore, a study from Indiana University in 2017 suggested that handwriting might enhance letter recognition in children by linking visual and motor skills.

Despite these insights, there is still ambiguity regarding the direct translation of increased brain activity during handwriting to tangible improvements in learning or memory retention. Moreover, the efficacy of note-taking on paper versus laptops in enhancing classroom learning and exam performance remains contested.

The study underscores the importance of incorporating both handwriting and typing into educational curricula, considering the digital age's demands. While typing offers efficiency for lengthy texts, handwriting could play a crucial role in cognitive development, especially during the brain's formative years.

As educational practices evolve, this research invites a reevaluation of traditional teaching methods, suggesting that a balanced approach to writing could foster optimal cognitive growth and learning outcomes.

Original article: Aria Bendix, "Writing by hand may increase brain connectivity more than typing, readings of student brains suggest," NBC News Digital, January 27, 2024.[URL here]

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OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com