General Discussion

Ilikepurple

(692 posts)

25. Your first two sentences reveal the tenuous ground the cursive argument stands on.

Sun Mar 22, 2026, 03:58 PM

Mar 22

Almost every argument I read starts with the claims that cursive being lost is a developmental negative yet supports the view on studies that compare typing to handwriting. It is not clear from studies that cursive has cognitive benefits over manuscript. The focus on cursive seems to be more of a political rather than scientific point. I’ve not settled on my opinion where I stand on this matter because like virtually all of society, I am woefully underinformed. I do believe it’s fairly uncontroversial that handwriting has cognitive benefits, but it seems that the focus on cursive is more keyed on “kids these days” kinds of emotions rather than actual science. Like learning any social skill, there are going to be benefits to the teaching of cursive, but I’m still waiting for proof that maintaining the average baseline of cognitive function is one of them.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

58 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Adults Lose Skills to AI. Children Never Build Them. (Psychology Today, 3/22) [View all] highplainsdem Mar 22 OP

Not happening here! SheltieLover Mar 22 #1

Yvw, Sheltie! There is so much pressure and hype to use AI from the AI industry, and now from the Trump regime. highplainsdem Mar 22 #4

And it's hard to escape. Most major search engines have it embedded. erronis Mar 22 #16

Its similar to spell check, unless a person takes the effort to turn it off.. BlueWaveNeverEnd Mar 23 #57

The risks, IMO, are a given and I will never embrace this dysfunctional garbage. SheltieLover Mar 22 #32

K & R Raastan Mar 22 #2

Thanks! highplainsdem Mar 22 #6

Important article Wild blueberry Mar 22 #3

You're welcome! After seeing that editorial from the U of Pennsylvania student paper yesterday, reading highplainsdem Mar 22 #46

Another skill that too many younglings have lost... GiqueCee Mar 22 #5

I can't write in cursive, either. GenThePerservering Mar 22 #7

Over the 70-odd years... GiqueCee Mar 22 #13

For what it's worth, I can't tell time on a sundial. Or use Stonehenge to schedule a harvest. JustABozoOnThisBus Mar 22 #18

Neither. I click on the receiver cradle multiple times. erronis Mar 22 #22

Whoa! GiqueCee Mar 22 #29

easy Mossfern Mar 22 #41

The reason I was told in elementary school for learning cursive is because it is FASTER progree Mar 22 #24

Personally. I like Roman Numeral clocks. Sequoia Mar 22 #44

I have the clacky electric portable typewriter with ribbon too. Sadly, no rotary dial phone, progree Mar 22 #45

And party line phones. Sequoia Mar 23 #54

Your first two sentences reveal the tenuous ground the cursive argument stands on. Ilikepurple Mar 22 #25

My wife has a Masters Degree in Special Ed... GiqueCee Mar 22 #38

I think it would be interesting to hear your wives anecdotes, but you only mentioned analog clocks in your prior post. Ilikepurple Mar 22 #47

Cursive was torture for me. hunter Mar 23 #52

I have a similar background. I didn't use cursive until I started college. Ilikepurple Mar 23 #58

I couldn't agree more. SheltieLover Mar 22 #33

IDIOCRACY becomes reality and defines a new class of fuedal peasantry. Ford_Prefect Mar 22 #8

YOU GOT IT !!!!! Stargazer99 Mar 22 #23

Unlike many, BidenRocks Mar 22 #9

A.I. stands for Artificial Insemination. Same thing for AI except no long glove is used. twodogsbarking Mar 22 #10

Just the other day I was bemoaning lost skill sets even without AI nuxvomica Mar 22 #11

Or gardening...With summer coming and prices skyrocketing,well BattleRow Mar 22 #21

We've given up on gardening; very expensive wildlife food, lol! mwmisses4289 Mar 22 #28

Yes,that's understandable. BattleRow Mar 22 #37

Lol. For us it wasn't just the various caterpillars, stink bugs and other creepy crawlers, mwmisses4289 Mar 22 #39

Food insecurity is on the rise on All fronts! BattleRow Mar 22 #43

My experience as well Mossfern Mar 22 #42

Cripes, people can't even drive cars with manual transmissions anymore. SheltieLover Mar 22 #35

Or dial a rotary phone nuxvomica Mar 22 #36

LOL Yup, check writing has gone the way of cursive, apparently. SheltieLover Mar 22 #40

Today's parents don't get it because they weren't taught the basics in school FakeNoose Mar 22 #12

Agism is an unsavory business. littlemissmartypants Mar 22 #15

Actually, quite a number of the 20 and 30 somethings I know realized they were shortchanged. mwmisses4289 Mar 22 #30

Thanks for sharing this highplainsdem. ... littlemissmartypants Mar 22 #14

Big K & R. ALL parents must read this Psychology Today report if they want thinking children to control their futures. ancianita Mar 22 #17

There is evidence to support this all over social media debsy Mar 22 #19

Just an opinion... lonely bird Mar 22 #20

IMHO AI should be highly regulated, by gov't policies, parents and ourselves. Buddyzbuddy Mar 22 #26

Jensen Huang is one seriously evil fuck. Initech Mar 22 #27

I noticed all of these in my daughter 25 years ago - long before AI. Ms. Toad Mar 22 #31

I see this with software all the time. I am not a computer scientist LisaM Mar 22 #34

Adults also lost the ability to hand print and hand embellish books... WarGamer Mar 22 #48

The article is about cognitive atrophy in adults and cognitive foreclosure in children, because of AI highplainsdem Mar 22 #49

In my line of work (copy-editing for publishers), AI's been in use for some years. Emrys Mar 22 #50

That sounds maddening, Emrys. highplainsdem Mar 23 #53

Oh, I just scratched the surface on its cranky ways, and those of publishing in general Emrys Mar 23 #56

A big, not a feature DonCoquixote Mar 22 #51

This is going to be a big problem Johnny2X2X Mar 23 #55