Abstract
Skilled typewriting is a complex activity that requires the coordination of several independent, concurrent processors. At any moment in time, different processors are concerned with different parts of the text being typed. Processors “earlier” in the information flow (i.e., closer to the receptors) are generally ahead of the “later” processors (i.e., processors closer to the effectors), focusing on parts of the text that the later processors are not yet ready to deal with. The difference in focus may be measured in units of information (i.e., keystrokes) or in units of time, and is called the span. Since there are several processors working together in typing, there should be several spans. How should we study them? One approach would be to identify the processors and then deduce the spans between them. This would require more detailed knowledge about the nature of typing than we have at present (but see Rumelhart & Norman, 1982; Shaffer, 1976). A second approach would be to discover the spans empirically, by examining the existing studies of spans in typewriting and then trying to distinguish spans in terms of their properties. The second approach was adopted in this chapter.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Reference Note
Gentner, D. R., Grudin, J., & Conway, E. Finger movements in transcription typing (Tach. Rep. 8001 ) La Jolla, Calif.: University of California at San Diego, May 1980.
References
Broadbent, D. Levels, hierarchies, and the locus of control. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1977, 29,181–201.
Butsch, R. L. C. Eye movements and the eye-hand span in typewriting. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1932, 23, 104–121.
Duncan, J. The locus of interference in the perception of simultaneous stimuli. Psychological Review, 1980, 87, 272–300.
Fendrick, P. Hierarchical skills in typewriting. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1937, 28, 609–620.
Hershman, R. L., & Hillix, W. A. Data processing in typing. Human Factors, 1965, 7, 483–492.
Hitch, G. J. Developing the concept of working memory. In G. Claxton (Ed.), Cognitive psychology: New directions. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1980.
Logan, D. G. Attention, automaticity, and the ability to stop a speeded choice response. In J. Long & A. D. Baddeley (Eds.), Attention and performance (Vol. 9 ) Hillsdale, M. J.: Erlbaum, 1981.
Logan, G. D. On the ability to inhibit complex movements: A stop-signal study of typewriting. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1982, 8, 778–792.
Long, J. Visual feedback and skilled keying: Differential effects of masking the printed copy and the keyboard. Ergonomics, 1976, 19, 93–110.
McClelland, J. On the time relations of mental processes: An examination of systems of processes in cascade. Psychological Review, 1979, 86, 287–330.
Norman, D. A. Toward a theory of memory and attention. Psychological Review, 1968, 75, 522–536.
Ostry, D. J. Execution-time movement control. In G. E. Stelmach & J. Requin (Eds.), Tutorials in motor behavior. Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1980.
Rabbitt, P. M. A. Detection of errors by skilled typists. Ergonomics, 1978, 21, 945–958.
Rothkopf, E. Z. Copying span as a measure of the information burden or written language. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 1980, 19, 562–572.
Rumelhart, D. E., & Norman, D. A. Simulating a skilled typist: A study of skilled cognitive-motor performance. Cognitive Science, 1982, 6, 1–36.
Shaffer, L. H. Latency mechanisms in transcription. In S. Kornblum (ed.), Attention and performance (Vol. 4 ) New York: Academic Press, 1973.
Shaffer, L. H. Control processes in typing. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1975, 27, 419–432.
Shaffer, L. H. In tention and performance, Psychological Review, 1976, 83, 375–393.
Shaffer, L. H. Timing in the motor programming of typing. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1978, 30, 333–345.
Shaffer, L. H., & Harkwick, J. Typing performance as a function of text. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1968, 20, 360–369.
Shaffer, L. H., & Hardwick, J. The basis of transcription skill. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1970, 84, 424–440.
Sternberg, S., Monsell, S., Knoll, R. L., & Wright, C. E. The latency and duration of rapid movement sequences: Comparisons of speech and typewriting. In G. E. Stelmach (Ed.), Information processing in motor control and learning. New York: Academic Press, 1978.
Tannenbaum, P. H., Williams F., & Wood, B. S. Hesitation phenomena and related encoding characteristics in speech and typewriting. Language and Speech, 1967, 19, 203–215.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1983 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Logan, G.D. (1983). Time, Information, and the Various Spans in Typewriting. In: Cooper, W.E. (eds) Cognitive Aspects of Skilled Typewriting. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5470-6_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5470-6_8
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-5472-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-5470-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive