Does language familiarity affect typing speed?

Typed responses have been used as a way to assess an individual’s thinking skills and creativity in the field of cognitive psychology. However, there is very little prior research on what could affect an individual’s typing speed. We filled this void by examining the relation between language familiarity and typing speed. We hypothesized that individuals who possess a higher degree of familiarity with a particular language would demonstrate faster typing speeds when typing in that language compared to a less familiar language. We collected data from participants at a local high school who underwent typing tests in both English and Latin, with their typing speeds recorded and analyzed. We found that participants exhibited slower typing speeds when typing in Latin compared to English, and that participants with no Latin experience exhibited a greater disparity between English and Latin typing speeds than those with Latin experience, underscoring the influence of word familiarity on typing performance. However, further analysis indicated that the level of Latin education among participants does not significantly affect their typing speed in Latin. These findings offer valuable insights into the cognitive aspects of typing and the impact of language familiarity on typing proficiency.