Eye Movements and Eye-Hand Coordination During Typing

Abstract

Typing from text (copytyping) is part of a family of complex skills that require the coordination of vi sual encoding and manual perfor mance. What distinguishes typing from other eye-hand coordination tasks is its complexity and the con tinuous nature of the performance. The perceptual task requires the encoding of linguistic symbols, and manual performance involves all fingers of both hands, which must execute spatially calibrated and precisely timed (ordered) move ments over extended periods. De velopment of the skill requires con siderable amounts of practice, and performance continues to im prove over months?and often years?of practice. Despite the complexities of copytyping, the perceptual-motor processes in volved are relatively amenable to study, as perception and manual movements are confined to small and well-defined spaces, a to-be typed segment of text and a key board, respectively. Furthermore, perceptual processes can be di rectly related to manual move ments, as the encoding of a particu lar letter, word, or word sequence is followed by manual movements to corresponding keys. The vast majority of typing studies have examined manual movements (for reviews, see Soech ting, Gordon, & Engel, 1996; Vivi ani & Terzuolo, 1983). Results from these studies converge, showing that typists plan sequences of manual movements at several lev els, ranging from lexical units (words) to individual key presses (e.g., Gentner, Larochelle, & Gru din, 1988; Gordon, Casabona, & Soechting, 1994; Inhoff, 1991; Shaf fer, 1973; Sternberg, Monsell, Knoll, & Wright, 1978; Viviani & Laissard, 1996; Viviani & Terzuolo, 1983); that execution of planned movements is a function of the bio