Only Three Fingers Write, but the Whole Brain Works: A High-Density EEG Study Showing Advantages of Drawing Over Typing for Learning.

Audrey L H Van Der Meer,F R (Ruud) Van Der Weel

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00706

Audrey L H Van Der Meer, F R (Ruud) Van Der Weel

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00706

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Abstract

Are different parts of the brain active when we type on a keyboard as opposed to when we draw visual images on a tablet? Electroencephalogram (EEG) was used in young adults to study brain electrical activity as they were typing or describing in words visually presented PictionaryTM words using a keyboard, or as they were drawing pictures of the same words on a tablet using a stylus. Analyses of temporal spectral evolution (time-dependent amplitude changes) were performed on EEG data recorded with a 256-channel sensor array. We found that when drawing, brain areas in the parietal and occipital regions showed event related desynchronization activity in the theta/alpha range. Existing literature suggests that such oscillatory neuronal activity provides the brain with optimal conditions for learning. When describing the words using the keyboard, upper alpha/beta/gamma range activity in the central and frontal brain regions were observed, especially during the ideation phase. However, since this activity was highly synchronized, its relation to learning remains unclear. We concluded that because of the benefits for sensory-motor integration and learning, traditional handwritten notes are preferably combined with visualizations (e.g., small drawings, shapes, arrows, symbols) to facilitate and optimize learning.

Highlights

The general effectiveness of notetaking in educational settings is well-documented, but the evidence mainly stems from a time when laptop use in classrooms was not very common
The results indicated that both types of note takers performed well on questions that involved recalling facts, while longhand note takers performed significantly better on the conceptual questions
The signal magnitude (Power %) reflects the estimated neural activity in the various brain regions compared to baseline (−300 to 0 ms) activity

Summary

Introduction

The general effectiveness of notetaking in educational settings is well-documented, but the evidence mainly stems from a time when laptop use in classrooms was not very common. The encoding hypothesis proposes that the processing that occurs during notetaking enhances recall and retention. Notetaking can be generative (e.g., summarizing, reframing, paraphrasing) or nongenerative (i.e., verbatim transcribing). Verbatim notetaking typically involves relatively shallow cognitive processing (Craik and Lockhart, 1972; Kiewra, 1985). Greater encoding benefits have been observed the more deeply information is processed during notetaking (DiVesta and Gray, 1973). Traditional laptop use, using the keyboard, promotes verbatim transcription of lecture content because most students can type much faster than they can write (Brown, 1988). Typing may undermine the encoding benefits seen in past notetaking studies

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