Energy Expenditure During the Hand Writing Task.
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to prove or disprove, by example, the general hypothesis that a biological control system will attempt to minimize energy expenditure in performing a task by its choice of method. The particular task studied was handwriting in right handed males and females, with printing and cursive writing being the two general methods for performing the task. Muscle action potentials of the extensor forearm muscles and the forces applied by the writing fingers on a specially made writing instrument were recorded as dependent variables. A secondary purpose of the study was to find is there was a correlation between forces applied in handwriting and dexterity of the fingers involved in writing. From the study there appears to be evidence that man does attempt to minimize his energy expenditure by some internal mechanisms. Correlation between finger dexterity, as measured by Hoke (1922), and force applied by the fingers in handwriting is evident. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0739000
Entities
People
- James Russell Dugger
Organizations
- United States Army Materiel Command