Final answer:
The correct answer is "control characters" Characters that modify a device's behavior are referred to as control characters. They include non-printing characters like newline, carriage return, and tab, which control text formatting or device functions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Characters that modify a device's behavior rather than representing text are known as control characters. Unlike logographic systems, which use symbols or pictures to represent words or concepts, control characters serve a different functions in computing and digital communication. They are used within a computer system to control devices, text formatting or to manage data streams.
For example, the newline character signals the end of a line of text and the start of a new one, the carriage return moves the cursor back to the beginning of the line, and the tab character moves the cursor to the next tab stop. These are all non-printing control characters, as they do not represent textual content but rather instruct the device on how to process or display the text.