Embodied Handwriting Training Effect on Phonological and Morphological Processing: Event-Related Potential Developmental Indicators

• In Event: 45.060 - Phonological and Morphological Training Evidence Among Children and Adults: Bilingual Approach to and Empirical Evidence From Behavioral, Developmental, and Neurophysiological Studies

Abstract

1.Objectives or Purposes
This paper aims at exploring the handwriting effect on the orthographic and morphological perception of both Chinese characters and English letters, and visual perceptual mechanism of the effect of handwriting characters among Chinese-English bilinguals. We also intended to compare the developmental patterns in phonological/morphological activation across ages between the kids and young Chinese C-E adults.

2.Perspectives or Theoretical Framework
With the prevalence of keyboard typing, we do not write very often like before. The ignorance of handwriting causes handwriting crisis to some extent, which in turn decreases ability of reading comprehension and writing of English and the Chinese language for children. There is a urgent call for enhancing children’s handwriting ability as well as relieving handwriting crisis.

3.Methods, Techniques, or Modes of Inquiry
Both ERPs and behavioral data (RT & Accuracy) were collected for Chinese and English. Repeated measure ANOVA on all dependent measures were conducted. Behavioral results were consistent with EEG results.

4.Data sources, Evidence, Objects, or Materials
Twenty-four 9-10-year old kids and 24 college students participated both behavioral and ERP experiments. Event-related potentials analyses suggested HME effect on N170, P300, and N400 modulations among kids, and N170 for adults only but not for other ERP indicators by comparing between handwriting, drawing and viewing condition.

5. Results and/or Conclusions or Warrants for Arguments/Point of View
Behavioral results supported ERP results in that HME effect enhance perceptual accuracy of Chinese characters compared with English letters, whereas perceptual RTs were prolonged in handwriting condition. Perception of straight-lined Chinese characters (e.g.田) was better than curve-lined Chinese characters (e.g. 火). There was no difference between perception of both straight-(e.g. H) and curve-lined English letters (e.g. O). The study suggested writing effect was of visual-spatial information needed for character perception and higher visual attention enhanced by sensory-motor accompanying writing.

6.Scientific or Scholarly Significance of the Study
The study demonstrated orthographic facilitating effect, native language facilitating effect, and language development effect of embodied handwriting. The study also joined previous studies in providing implications for spelling/reading instruction to mitigate handwriting crisis. The study also provided practical implications as well as scientific and constructive suggestions about how people should maintain their handwriting mechanism and promote the perception of Chinese and English in the current digital age.

Authors

• Jianrong Zhao

• ru yao, China National Institute for Educational Research

• Brain MacWhinney, Carnegie Mellon University

• Qun Guan, University of Science and Technology Beijing