ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the advantages and limitations of using handwriting pauses as indicators of the dynamics of text composition. We explain how the joint analysis of eye and pen movements can provide a more heuristic framework for interpreting pauses, by giving researchers a means of identifying the different functions of reading in the course of written composition. As an illustration, we report the results of four experiments exploring the eye movements of writers in situations where they either had to compose texts from documentary sources or transcribe sentences requiring careful handling of the subject–verb agreement. In our conclusion, we discuss the need to adjust the interpretation of eye movements (saccades, fixations, smooth pursuit, and microsaccades) to take account of the specific context of handwriting production.
