Preparation of partly precued handwriting movements: The size of movement units in handwriting

Abstract

In the present study we investigated whether individual strokes or complete letters form “movement units” in cursive handwriting. In various reaction time (RT) paradigms (choice-RT, precue-RT, and simple-RT) we tested which definition of a unit provides the best explanation for the reaction-time and movement-duration data that we observed. In the choice-RT condition we found that congruence of complete letters facilitated reaction time, but congruece of strokes within letters did not. This was also found to hold in the precue conditions where, some time prior to the imperative stimulus, a precue was presented, specifying either the first or the second letter of the writing pattern. Furthermore, analysis of movement durations revealed that the strokes immediately preceding and following the connection stroke between two identical letters were delayed. These results consistently point towards the notion that the movement pattern of a well-practised letter is handled as a single unit.