Operation of keyboard entry devices entails manual and intellectual skill components. The source material and its effect on short-term memory determines whether the information processing will introduce delays in addition to those from the manual component. The finger timing and motion patterns were investigated for six classes of text material from normal English to numerals and mixed alphanumeric text. Successive keystrokes by skilled typists tend to overlap when normal English text is being entered, while more complex text results in delays between strokes. Finger motion rates also vary, with typists excelling on text and key-punch operators on numerics.
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