Functional and cognitive correlates of typing speed in a large U.S. panel study

Typing has become increasingly integral to everyday functioning. To comprehensively understand people's level of functioning, researchers may also want to consider typing performance in addition to performance of other classical activities of daily living like dressing, shopping, or managing a budget. Classical typing tests are too burdensome to administer in panel studies. We examined functional and cognitive correlates of a one sentence typing speed test to examine if this brief measure could provide meaningful information. A sample of 10,613 adult participants in the Understanding America Study (UAS), a nationally representative longitudinal online survey panel, completed surveys, cognitive tests, and the typing test. Intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.79 for computer typing speed and 0.63 for smartphone typing speed suggested high test-retest stability for the brief typing test across 2 years. Faster typing speed was generally associated with better cognitive functioning across domains, fewer reported difficulties with basic and instrumental activities of daily living, and a lower likelihood of several self-reported illnesses. After adjustment for demographics, the correlation magnitudes were attenuated but still generally in the expected directions. Typing speed as captured by a single sentence typing speed test appeared to be sensitive to several measures relevant to everyday functioning.