Fact · Dictation
In IBM's 1978 study, novice dictators learned within a few hours to dictate letters as fast and as well as they wrote them, although they did not believe they were doing that well.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“novice dictators can learn in a few hours to dictate with the speed and quality with which they write. However, they do not think they perform this well.”
Writing, dictating, and speaking letters, John D. Gould and Stephen J. Boies, Science, 1978, Abstract.
Open the original (DOI 10.1126/science.201.4361.1145)- What it measures
- Adults composed one-page business letters of several kinds by writing them out and by dictating them to a recorder. Speed and quality were measured, and the letters were rated.
- What it does not show
- Dictation to a recorder, with no speech recognition errors to correct. Getting comfortable with correcting software output takes longer.
Source
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