Productivity and errors in two keying tasks: A field study

Abstract

Productivity and error rates were measured for a billion responses by more than a thoushand operators of IBM card punches and bank proof machines in 20 different installations. Productivity increases and errors decrease during the 1st year on the job, sometimes longer. Experienced card punch operators average 56,000 to 83,000 keystrokes per day with 1600 to 4300 strokes per undetected error. Experienced bank proof machine operators average 4350 to 6600 checks per day with about 3500 checks per undetected error. The fastest operators at any installation produce twice as much as the slowest. The least accurate operators make 10 times as many errors as the most accurate. Fast operators tend to make fewer errors (r = -.5). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)