For habituated adult writers, following an imposed rhythmic beat increases temporal variation, with better writers adapting better than poor writers¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 1918 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Adults show greater variation in both finger and arm movement when following a rhythmic beat than when acting naturally. → West 1918 q2 i? Better writers show greater power of adaptation to the imposed beat than poor writers. → West 1918

Evidence¶

West 1918¶

West, P. V. (1918). The Relation of Rhythm to the Handwriting Movement. The Journal of Educational Psychology. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22The+Relation+of+Rhythm+to+the+Handwriting+Movement%22

q2 · i? · causal · r1

First kymographic experiment, adult groups, comparing spontaneous versus imposed rhythm in finger and arm movement. The article attributes the effect to adults having acquired rhythmic movement as a comparatively fixed norm of performance, and adds that better writers showed greater adaptation.

"For adults, who have already acquired a comparatively high degree of rhythmic movement, probably as a more or less fixed norm of performance, the amount of variation is greater in both finger and arm movement when the rhythmic beat is followed than when the action is natural."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Better writers and older children anticipate the rhythmic beat while poorer writers and young children lag behind it; the arm is less accurate than the fingers except for younger children — related
• Better adult writers show slightly greater temporal regularity in handwriting strokes, with the total stroke period showing the least variability — related
• Following a slow rhythmic beat while writing words slows habituated writers and produces speed uncertainties that harm form quality — related
• Imposed rhythm increases the proportionate rest time within strokes, especially for younger children with finger movement, while the time on the stroke proper tends to remain constant — related