I wonder, though, if the subjects were saying something else. Perceived speed is not entirely made up of real speed, but also the distraction factor. So maybe the subjects were really saying that keyboarding is a less significant mental interruption, because it’s easier to mentally shift states (and shift back after). It could be that even if the shift is faster with a mouse, it cramps the thought process more than the keyboard. Perhaps the time back to task is shorter, but the efficiency is down for longer.

I have no idea how you’d measure this, though.

I think I can get off my horse now. This says everything I want to on the subject, only much more elegantly. And with, like, pictures and stuff.