Fact · Typing and writing speed
Salthouse's 1984 study suggests that older typists kept their typing speed because they were more sensitive to characters farther ahead in the text than younger typists.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“apparently because they were more sensitive to characters farther in advance of the currently typed character than young typists”
Effects of age and skill in typing, Timothy A. Salthouse, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1984, Abstract.
Open the original (DOI 10.1037//0096-3445.113.3.345)- What it measures
- Salthouse measured typists with a range of skill levels and ages in typing-like tasks. The abstract gives this as the apparent reason older typists kept their speed despite slower tapping.
- What it does not show
- This is the author's proposed explanation, from a small 1980s laboratory study on the keyboards of that time. The abstract says 'apparently', so it is a likely reason, not a tested cause.