Working memory and inhibitory control as predictors of emergent handwriting

This study sought to determine whether working memory played a role in explaining young children's emergent handwriting abilities and whether inhibitory control mediated any found relationship between the two variables. Fifty-nine children (29 boys and 30 girls) participated in this study. Participants were assessed using various handwriting and cognitive measures, including an adapted day-night Stroop task which assessed inhibitory control. Analysis using correlational design indicated an association between tasks assessing sentence writing ability and working memory differed in magnitude but was statistically significant. Children with larger verbal/visual working memory capacities performed better on various handwriting tasks. Results of hierarchical regression techniques found that inhibitory control did not mediate the relationship between handwriting and working memory. This study is useful in providing teachers with information and ideas on how to reduce the cognitive load experienced by young children who are learning how to handwrite.