Execution and pauses in writing narratives: processing time, cognitive effort and typing skill

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Writing Studies

Background:

• Writing behavior is characterized by typing periods and pauses.
• Previous research focused on pauses, neglecting motor execution periods.
• The cognitive demands and distribution of writing processes during typing and pauses are not well understood, nor is the impact of typing skill.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the distribution and cognitive demands of writing processes (planning, translating, revising) during typing and pauses.
• To examine the influence of typing skill on these processes and their cognitive demands.
• To determine the relationship between typing skill, writing processes, and text quality.

Main Methods:

• 34 undergraduates categorized introspective thoughts related to writing (planning, translating, revising).
• Participants performed dictation and composition tasks while responding to auditory probes.
• Cognitive demands were measured using interference in reaction times (IRT); writing processes were assessed via directed verbalization.

Main Results:

• Translating was the most frequent process, primarily occurring during motor execution (typing).
• Revising and planning occurred more during pauses, with revising being the most cognitively demanding process.
• Low typing skill increased the cognitive demands of motor execution but did not alter the strategy of writing process activation, yet it negatively impacted text quality.

Conclusions:

• Writing processes are distributed across both typing and pausing periods, with translating dominant during typing and planning/revising during pauses.
• Revising presents the highest cognitive load during narrative writing.
• Typing skill significantly influences the cognitive demands of motor execution and overall text quality, highlighting the importance of efficient typing for effective writing.