A study on the effects of human age, type of computer and noise on operators' performance of a data entry task

The effects of human age, type of computer, and noise on computer operators' performance of a data entry task were investigated. Twenty male subjects aged 10-55 were assigned into 4 age groups each consisting of 5 persons. They performed the task for 15 min on desktop and laptop computers in a sitting posture under varying levels of noise. The mean number of characters entered per minute (MNCEPM) was statistically analyzed. Operators in the 16-25 age group achieved the highest rate of data entry at each level of noise investigated. Operators performed better on desktop than on laptop computers. Their performance decreased when noise level increased from 82 to 92 dB(A), but it improved at 102 dB(A). The effects of age and noise were statistically significant. However, the effects of the type of computer, the interactions between age and type of computer, age and noise level, and type of computer and noise were not found to be statistically significant.