Using Writing Instruments: Invariances in Young Children and Adults

Abstract

In 2 studies, developmental changes in variability associated with handwriting were investigated. In Study 1, variability in grip patterns and pen positioning relative to a flat surface were examined in 3-and 5-yearolds and adults. The results indicated that between 3 and 5 years of age there is a reduction in the number of grips that individual children routinely use and a reduction in variability associated with pen-surface positioning. In Study 2, the 3-year-old children who participated in Study 1 were tested 6 months later. In comparison to young 3-year-old children, older 3-year-olds use an adult grip pattern more often and are less variable in pen-surface positioning, although the use of multiple grip patterns is still common. The findings from both studies are considered in relation to prior research that emphasized modal patterns of motor development and newer work that uses developmental changes in variability to understand the acquisition of motor skill.

Variability of Grip Kinetics during Adult Signature Writing

“…Our finding also aligns with [35] which examined the variation of handwriting grip patterns with age, from childhood through to adulthood. They observed a decrease in the variation of pen-surface positioning and the number of grips that individuals use as they mature, and speculated that this emerging invariance may be due to increasing automaticity and efficiency of handwriting as a manual motor skill.…”

“…They observed a decrease in the variation of pen-surface positioning and the number of grips that individuals use as they mature, and speculated that this emerging invariance may be due to increasing automaticity and efficiency of handwriting as a manual motor skill. However, it is important to note that in [35] only a video-based grip classification scheme was used which did not consider the biomechanics associated with different pencil grip shapes. Finally, studies of grip forces associated with golf swings have shown that each player deploys a repeatable grip force profile that is distinct from that of other players [36]–[38].…”

Motor Development

“…Infants' early action patterns may serve as the rudimentary foundations for later tool implementation (Lockman, 2000). Sliding objects back and forth over a surface may be an early precursor for writing and scribbling, and banging a hard object on a solid surface may prefigure hammering (Greer & Lockman, 1998).…”

Tool Using

“…In past research, investigators have focused more on the immediate problem of tool choosing rather than the longer-term achievement of tool using (see Cummins-Sebree & Fragaszy, 2005; Lockman, 2000), reflecting perhaps the continuing influence of insight-based approaches to the study of tool use. Becoming skilled in using an object as a tool and as an extension of the hand typically occurs over a long period (Greer & Lockman, 1998; Rosenbloom & Horton, 1971) and often after an individual can select an appropriate tool reliably. Consider the process of learning to use a spoon: Before the end of the first year, infants select spoons to feed themselves, but the process of becoming skilled in using spoons, as well as planning and selecting an appropriate grip, occurs over most of the second year (Connolly & Dalgleish, 1989; McCarty, Clifton, & Collard, 2001).…”