Compiled by | Xu Rui
In today's rapid development of information technology and electronic products, people tend to use computers for work, study, and recording and storing various information, and the situation of writing information on paper has become less and less.However, a recent study published in "Frontiers in Psychology" pointed out that writing on paper can help people remember information better than entering it on a computer, because the act of writing can enhance the connection between different areas of the brain.Writing information on paper may be more conducive to memory.The two modes of using a keyboard to type and writing with a pen on paper are very different. "When you type on a keyboard, your fingers make very simple movements, and the movements of your fingers are exactly the same for each letter," said Audrey Van der Meer, the author of the paper and a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. But when people handwrite each letter, there are unique movements.In order to study the different effects of handwriting and typing on the brain, Van der Meer and her colleagues recruited 36 students in their twenties and asked them to watch 30 words flashing on the screen, such as "king," "hedgehog," "umbrella" in Norwegian. Half of the vocabulary needed to be handwritten, and the other half had to be typed on a keyboard. Electrodes were placed on the participants' scalps to monitor their brain signals.Since the right motor cortex of the brain controls left-hand movements and the left motor cortex controls right-hand movements, the researchers asked all participants to use their right hand to type or write. This avoids the crossover between the two hemispheres of the brain and makes the experimental results easier to interpret. The results showed that for all participants, handwriting increased the connectivity between the central part of the brain and the outer parietal lobe, while typing did not."Handwriting requires the involvement of more senses and engages the body more. This means that most areas of the brain are active because they need to communicate with each other," explained Van der Meer.However, the researchers did not test the effect of enhanced connectivity, but it has been previously shown to be related to improved memory and learning ability. The researchers believe that this "can be seen as evidence of writing promoting information memory.""Using a computer and keyboard to record information is easier, but sometimes writing and taking notes can be more effective," said Van der Meer.Related paper information:
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945
China Science Daily (2024-01-30 2nd Edition International)Editor | Zhao LuLayout | Guo GangPlease scan the QR code below for 3 seconds for recognition
