Multifractality in typing as a marker of fatigue

Bibliographic Data

ID21642904
AuthorsDan Bennett (0000-0002-9330-5529, University of Bristol, corresponding author), Anne Roudaut (0000-0003-3082-4564, University of Bristol), Oussama Metatla (0000-0002-3882-3243, University of Bristol)
Year2025
Volume204
Pages103595
Publication date2025-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Human-Computer Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1071-5819 • E-ISSN: 1095-9300
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ijhcs.2025.103595
OpenAlexW4413293418
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited66

Multifractality is a property of biological signals that is informative about the effectiveness of behavioural coordination. Since fatigue is known to undermine the ability to coordinate behavioural resources, we hypothesise that multifractal signatures may function as effective markers of fatigue. To further this line of research we conduct a study to investigate the association between fatigue and multifractal signatures during typing. We observe that multifractality in keystroke timings is significantly lower after exposure to a mentally fatiguing task, and that multifractal properties correlate with the degree of self-reported fatigue. We discuss the implications of this research for the development of unobtrusive, low cost fatigue monitoring and interventions, noting that multifractal analysis requires only the capture of input behaviour for the task, and that multifractality has been observed in a range of task-directed behaviours, not only typing. This points to the potential to infer fatigue via existing commodity input hardware, in a range of tasks

Natural language processing · Speech recognition · Typing · Complex Systems and Dynamics · Computer Science · Engineering Diagnostics and Reliability · Mechanics and Biomechanics Studies

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access