Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I have found more tests for my whole texting thing. But if you have any ideas, that would be nice. And another thing. I need some basic info on what muscles your thumbs use for texting and how I can test those.

Information about the muscles used can be found at the following URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Quervain_syndrome

Hope this helps.

Hi there,

John has given you a link to get started on your research regarding thumb muscles.

In terms of testing, have you looked into using something called a hand dynamometer to test thumb strength? This piece of equipment is used to measure grip strength, but you could ask your subjects to squeeze it with their thumbs (and two other fingers) to compare thumb strength. Just an idea!

I'm not sure how you will be conducting your experiment, but it's a good idea to keep a few things in mind.
1. Remember that you will need a control group (no texting) and an experimental group.
2. The best way to conduct this test would be to test subjects before and after several weeks, with control subjects doing no texting during those weeks, and experimental subjects texting a certain amount every day.
3. Since the above method may not be possible for you, understand that there are many factors that affect thumb strength. If you are comparing people who normally do a lot of texting to people who do not, just remember that factors like age, gender, and other activities (like sports) will also affect the thumb muscles.

I hope this helps!

Heather

Actually, I was doing people who text vs. people who don't. would that work?

Yes, that was what I figured you were doing. Just understand that you need to keep in mind that other factors besides texting will also affect the thumb strength of your individuals. As I mentioned, age, gender, sports, and other activities will affect thumb strength. It would be wise to find out as much of these things about your subjects as possible, so you can explain the differences you do or do not find.

Does that make sense? Let me know if you have more questions.

Heather