Long read: Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom

At Marcellus, we have an ongoing debate between those who believe notes in meetings should be taken by handwriting vs those who believe typing notes into a tablet serves the same purpose. This piece of research two academics who teach at the Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, supports those who believe that handwritten notes are more useful than typed notes. The synopsis of this fascinating paper are as follows:

“As traditional handwriting is progressively being replaced by digital devices, it is essential to investigate the implications for the human brain. Brain electrical activity was recorded in 36 university students as they were handwriting visually presented words using a digital pen and typewriting the words on a keyboard. Connectivity analyses were performed on EEG data recorded with a 256-channel sensor array. When writing by hand, brain connectivity patterns were far more elaborate than when typewriting on a keyboard, as shown by widespread theta/alpha connectivity coherence patterns between network hubs and nodes in parietal and central brain regions. Existing literature indicates that connectivity patterns in these brain areas and at such frequencies are crucial for memory formation and for encoding new information and, therefore, are beneficial for learning. Our findings suggest that the spatiotemporal pattern from visual and proprioceptive information obtained through the precisely controlled hand movements when using a pen, contribute extensively to the brain’s connectivity patterns that promote learning. We urge that children, from an early age, must be exposed to handwriting activities in school to establish the neuronal connectivity patterns that provide the brain with optimal conditions for learning. Although it is vital to maintain handwriting practice at school, it is also important to keep up with continuously developing technological advances. Therefore, both teachers and students should be aware of which practice has the best learning effect in what context, for example when taking lecture notes or when writing an essay.”

So, why is it that handwriting more powerfully impacts the brain than typing into a computer? The answer lies in how different parts of the brain interact with each other. The Norwegian academics write: “Brain oscillations can be considered as the interplay between the cortex and the thalamus and are generated by changes involved in the control of oscillations in neural networks… The complex interactions and the resulting particular frequencies are thought to reflect distinct cognitive processes… The temporal organization of neuronal firing is crucial as it is assumed to be fundamental when forming long-term memories in the hippocampus….”

The academics then conduct an experiment with 36 students and use Microsoft’s Surface to show that: “Drawing by hand causes more activity and involves larger areas in the brain as opposed to typing on a keyboard…We concluded that the involvement of fine and intricate hand movements in notetaking, in contrast with pressing keys on a keyboard that all require the same simple finger movement, may be more advantageous for learning…. A follow-up study observed event-related synchronized activity in the theta range in both children and students in parietal and central brain regions, but only when writing by hand…”

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