Visual Feedback and Skilled Keying: Differential Effects of Masking the Printed Copy and the Keyboard

Abstract

The results of three experiments are reported. They were designed to substantiate the importance for skilled keying behaviour of information derived from the printed copy and the keyboard. Experiment 1 showed that consulting the copy and the keyboard during transcription constituted part of normal keying activity and that the frequency of consultation was a function of the specific demands of the task..Experiment 2, with no requirement to correct errors, and Experiment 3, with a requirement to correct errors, involved the independent masking of the copy and the keyboard as well as on unmasked control condition. Both experiments showed that an adverse effect on performance, as measured by speed and accuracy, occurred only in the keyboard masked condition. Experiment 3 revealed an additional adverse effect on performance, as measured by the reduced percentage of errors corrected, which occurred only in the copy masked condition. It was concluded that the keyboard provides ' guidance ' information, permitting the appropriate co-ordination of fingers and keys and the location of unfamiliar keys by sight, and the printed copy provides ' feedback ' information concerning the commission of errors. It is argued that the results resolve a contradiction reported in previous research and suggest that visual feedback has a continuing role even in highly practised skills, such as keying.

Attention to the hands disrupts skilled typewriting: The role of vision in producing the disruption

“…Another novel contribution of our results is to demonstrate that vision is important in normal typing: covering the hands and keyboard slowed the typing of single words in the wholecue condition and the typing of paragraphs in the speed test. This suggests that modern typists depend on visual feedback to control their typing in the same way that professional typists of yesteryear did, because they responded in the same way to the same manipulation (Long, 1976;Rabbitt, 1978). Thus, the differences in training and experience do not seem to have produced differences in reliance on feedback.…”

“…Thus, modern typists may rely more on vision than professional typists did in normal typing, so it is important to replicate the classic studies with modern typists. Long (1976) and Rabbitt (1978) covered the keyboard, as did we.…”

“…Previous research had shown that skilled typists rely on both vision and kinesthesis (Long, 1976;Rabbit, 1978), but that research was done long ago with professional typists. Since then, typewriting has become ubiquitous in Western culture, and many people type as well as the professional typists of yesteryear (Logan & Crump, 2011).…”

Watch what you type: The role of visual feedback from the screen and hands in skilled typewriting

“…However, the inner loop uses visual feedback from the hands to align the fingers with the keys (Long, 1976) and guide keystroke trajectories (Fautrelle & Bonnetblanc, 2012).…”

Inflexibility of experts—Reality or myth? Quantifying the Einstellung effect in chess masters

“…There are indications that this is the case. Experienced typists are able to stop typing within a couple of keystrokes of discovering an error although their performance is usually assumed to be automated and therefore not under conscious control (Logan, 1982;Long, 1976; see also Logan & Cowan, 1984). Expert table tennis players are able to adjust the bat during the last 150 ms of ball flight (Bootsma & van Wieringen, 1990).…”