Effects of age and skill in typing

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human Factors Engineering
• Motor Skill Acquisition

Background:

• Typing performance is a complex skill influenced by various factors.
• Understanding how typing skill components change with age is crucial for human-computer interaction and ergonomics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key factors contributing to skilled typing performance.
• To investigate whether these factors change with the typist's age.

Main Methods:

• Two studies examined keystroke timing and accuracy in typing-like tasks.
• Participants ranged in age from 19 to 72 years and typing speeds from 17 to 104 WPM.
• Measures included temporal consistency, keystroke overlap, alternate-hand tapping speed, and predictive text processing.

Main Results:

• Typing skill correlated with temporal consistency, keystroke overlap efficiency, and tapping speed.
• Older typists exhibited slower tapping rates and choice reaction times.
• Despite slower individual component speeds, older typists maintained overall typing speed by exhibiting enhanced predictive text processing.

Conclusions:

• Skilled typing performance is a multifaceted skill, not solely dependent on raw speed.
• Age-related changes in cognitive and motor functions impact specific typing components.
• Older typists demonstrate adaptive strategies, such as increased perceptual span, to maintain proficient typing speeds.