A recent study by scientists at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee (USA) shows that the “one-finger pecking” typing method is actually not slower than typing with all ten fingers.
Researchers found that with the “one-finger pecking” method, participants could type 72 characters per minute, compared to trained ten-finger typists who averaged 80 characters per minute. However, the 72-character speed was only achievable when using a flat keyboard.
The first typing courses were conducted around the year 1880, aimed at helping people get accustomed to typewriters.
By the 20th century, public schools in Western countries began to incorporate keyboarding instruction into their curricula.
The ten-finger typing method, regarded as the most appropriate and fastest technique.
Entering the 21st century, modern keyboards have changed significantly, but our usage of them has not evolved much.
The ten-finger typing method, considered the most suitable and fastest, is a technique that requires the typist to place eight fingers on a “home row” (typically the third row from the bottom) to reach designated keys, while the remaining two fingers (the thumbs) rest on the space bar.
However, this typing method has been shown to have drawbacks, as it can be difficult for many typists to locate various keys on a QWERTY keyboard, and beginners often struggle to return their hands to the initial home row position.
Scientists at Vanderbilt University conducted a test with 48 participants, half of whom were “non-standard typists” and the other half were “standard typists.”
Non-standard typists can type almost as quickly and accurately as ten-finger typists.
“According to basic psychological laws governing motor skills, a typing style that uses all fingers will result in the fastest and most efficient typing,” said psychology professor Gordon Logan.
“Our research confirmed this theory when participants typed on a defined surface at high speed; however, we also found that non-standard typists could type almost as quickly and accurately as ten-finger typists as long as they could see the keyboard,” Logan stated.
In the tests, average standard typists typed 80 words per minute compared to 72 words for non-standard typists.
“We even had a two-finger typist reach 60 words in one minute,” Logan added.
