Attentional engagement in letter-like shape learning

Recent studies suggest that letter representations are based on a multimodal network linking the graphic motor programs acquired through handwriting to the visual representations. Moreover, the graphic motor programs are assumed to contribute to letter recognition. This assumption is based on the finding that learning symbols through handwriting leads to better recognition than learning through typing. However, in addition to the type of motor activity engaged, handwriting and typing might also differ in other aspects. Indeed, handwriting requires a more detailed visual analysis of the target symbols, which may account for its learning advantage (Seyll et al., 2020). Moreover, different learning methods might differ in attentional engagement. The present study aimed at measuring and comparing the attentional demands incurred by different learning settings. To this purpose, a dual-task probe paradigm was used: participants had to respond as quickly as possible to auditory probes while learning symbols either through handwriting, typing, or composition-a method requiring detailed visual analysis without graphomotor activity. Reaction times to the probes were used as index of the attentional engagement required by the learning methods. Handwriting led to longer reaction times than typing and composition, suggesting that it requires more attention than both other learning methods. Thus, the recognition advantage of handwriting over typing might be partly attributable to attentional engagement during learning. In addition, the advantage of composition over typing, in the absence of differences in the attentional task, confirms the unique importance of detailed visual analysis in symbol memorization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).