Fact · Typing and writing speed
In the 1984 study, older typists were slower at tapping and reaction tasks but were not slower in speed of typing.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Older typists were slower in tapping rate and in choice reaction time but were not slower in speed of typing”
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
- The authors suggest that older typists were more sensitive to characters further ahead in the text than younger typists.
- What it does not show
- A small lab study from the 1980s, on typing-like tasks and on keyboards of that period.