Computer use in older adults: Determinants and the relationship with cognitive change over a 6 year episode

Cognitively challenging activities may support the mental abilities of older adults. The use of computers and the Internet provides divergent cognitive challenges to older persons, and in previous studies, positive effects of computer and Internet use on the quality of life have been demonstrated. The present study addresses two research aims regarding predictors of computer use and the relationship between computer use and changes in cognitive abilities over a 6-year period in both younger (24-49 years) and older adults (older than 50 years). Data were obtained from an ongoing study into cognitive aging: the Maastricht Aging Study, involving 1823 normal aging adults who were followed for 9 years. The results showed age-related differences in predictors of computer use: the only predictor in younger participants was level of education, while in older participants computer use was also predicted by age, sex and feelings of loneliness. Protective effects of computer use were found for measures of selective attention and memory, in both older and younger participants. Effect sizes were small, which suggests that promotion of computer activities in older adults to prevent cognitive decline may not be an efficient strategy.     

Motivation of computer based learning across adulthood

This research investigates learning motivation of young and old adults. In detail, we explore motives of young and old adults to participate in two ICT-course settings: e-learning and face-to-face courses. In a first study young (n = 53, M = 26.0 years) and old (n = 55, M = 69.8 years) participants of e-learning courses completed an online questionnaire on learning motivation and personality. In a second study young (n = 46, M = 26.7 years) and old (n = 57, M = 69.5 years) participants of face-to-face ICT courses completed the same learning motivation questionnaire and questions about personality, subjective age and life satisfaction. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors of learning motivation: belonging, instrumentality, personal growth, and competition. As expected, older adults expressed stronger motives of belonging and personal growth, and thus expressed a stronger interest in self-determined and intrinsic learning. Young adults, in contrast, strongly endorsed competitive-related motives of learning. Instrumentality was influenced by the interaction of age and subjective age; older participants showed higher instrumentality when the difference between chronological age and subjective age is big. Findings of this study shed new light on assumptions of socioemotional selectivity theory.     

Enhancing older people’s activity and participation with socially assistive robots: a multicentre quasi-experimental study using the ICF framework*

Socially assistive robots (SARs) are seen as part of a pragmatic solution to addressing the increasing demands, shortage of care workers and to realizing the potential of optimum integrated care. Yet their effectiveness and impact on older people’s care, activities and participation are still unknown. A total of 67 people aged 65 and over participated in a 24-week-long, quasi-experimental study in five residential nursing homes in Japan. The personalized care plan and targets were created based on the framework of the WHO’s International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICF). Three types of socially assistive robots were used. The participants in the robot intervention groups showed greater improvements in their scores for targeted activities and participation than the control group. Statistically significant improvements were observed in communication, self care, and social life. SARs have great potential for improving older people’s quality of life. With further research, the use of these robots by older people could be considered as a serious option in the future. In addition, the ICF framework can be utilized further for measuring the effects of introducing SARs on older people’s quality of life.     

Assessing Web interaction with recollection: Age-related and task-related differences

The current study examined how young (n = 26; mean = 22.31 years) and older Internet users (n = 24; mean = 64.54 years) performed when they had to select and recollect information displayed in Web pages. Content-oriented and navigation-oriented information-finding tasks were used during the study phase. At test, the method made use of two recognition paradigms designed to assess recollection and the nature of representations in memory: namely, the remember/know procedure and a forced-choice recognition procedure which made it possible to compare the retrieval of detailed (verbatim-based) and semantic (gist-based) representations. The evidence from both procedures suggested that remembering was less contextualised in older participants. Furthermore, the idea that content-oriented searches impose greater processing demands than navigation-oriented searches in Web pages was confirmed for both age groups. Interestingly, the older Internet users experienced more difficulties in finding targets in navigation-oriented searches than in content-oriented searches.     

Computer-related posture and discomfort in primary school children: The effects of a school-based ergonomic intervention

This study investigated the effect of a school-based ergonomic intervention on childrens’ posture and discomfort while using computers using a pre/post test study design. The sample comprised 23 children age 9 and 10 years. Posture was assessed with Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) and a workstation assessment was completed using a Visual Display Unit (VDU) checklist. Self reported discomfort was also recorded at the beginning and end of the computer class. Following an ergonomic intervention that included education of the children and workstation changes, the outcome measures were repeated. There was a positive response to the intervention with significant changes between the pre-intervention and post-intervention scores for posture (p = 0.00) and workstation (p = 0.00). The change in discomfort scores from beginning to end of the computer class between the pre-intervention class and the post-intervention class was also significant (p = 0.00). The study highlights the need for continuing concern about the physical effects of children’s computer use and the implications of school-based interventions.     

Knowing when not to use the Internet: Shyness and adolescents’ on-line and off-line interactions with friends

The goal of the study was to explore the content of on-line and off-line peer interactions among shy and non-shy adolescents. Participants were 148 ten-to-eighteen year old adolescents in Rome, Italy (n = 98) and Ottawa, Canada (n = 50). Participants completed self reports of shyness and loneliness and web logs of their interactions with friends both in person and on-line. Among the results, there was little general difference in the general content and emotion expressed during the two modalities of interaction with friends, both of which were used in a wide variety of ways. Importantly, shy participants used the on-line modality more extensively than their non-shy counterparts to express negative emotions and to convey content regarding negative exchanges with peers. Such use of electronic communication may be an important contributor to their loneliness.     

How lonely people use and perceive Facebook

This study examined the relationship between loneliness and various aspects of Facebook use including use activity, self-disclosure, attitudes, and satisfaction. Data were collected through an online survey among adult Facebook users (N = 536). Results revealed that loneliness was associated with a fewer number of Facebook friends and a less overlapping between Facebook and offline friends. Loneliness was inversely related to communicating activities but not significantly to presenting activities. Also, lonely people tended to engage in positive self-disclosure less but negative self-disclosure more. Although lonely people viewed Facebook as more useful for self-disclosure and social connection, their satisfaction of Facebook use was lower than their counterparts.     

“Sexting” and adult romantic attachment

“Sexting” refers to sending and receiving sexually suggestive images, videos, or texts on cell phones. As a means for maintaining or initiating a relationship, sexting behavior and attitudes may be understood through adult attachment theory. One hundred and twenty-eight participants (M = 22 and F = 106), aged 18-30 years, completed an online questionnaire about their adult attachment styles and sexting behavior and attitudes. Attachment anxiety predicted sending texts that solicit sexual activity for those individuals in relationships. Attachment anxiety also predicted positive attitudes towards sexting such as accepting it as normal, that it will enhance the relationship, and that partners will expect sexting. Sexting may be a novel form for expressing attachment anxiety.     

Why do people post and read personal messages in public? The motivation of using personal blogs and its effects on users’ loneliness,belonging, and well-being

The purpose of the current paper is to develop a theoretical model that identifies why people blog personal content and explains the effects of blogging in “real life.” Data from an online survey are analyzed using maximum likelihood procedures in LISREL 8.75 to test the structural model. Among 531 respondents from Cyworld, a popular social network and blogging site in South Korea, a randomly selected group of 251 users was used to develop the model. The other group of 280 users was used to confirm the usefulness of the revised model. Results (N = 251; N = 280) showed that impression management and voyeuristic surveillance are two major psychological factors that motivate individuals to post and read messages on personal blogs. Results also showed evidence for blogging’s real life consequences, measured by users’ perceived social support, loneliness, belonging, and subjective well-being.     

Self-regulated learning through writing on computers: Consequences for reading comprehension

The overall aim for the present study was to analyze the consequences for reading ability among the children of a computer supported self-regulated learning environment in grade two. By means of a quasi-experimental design in a natural setting, an experimental group (n = 39) was compared to a control group from a national sample (n = 3409) on reading comprehension. The statistical analyses showed that the experimental group achieved better on reading comprehension both as a group (p < .001) as well as girls (p < .001) and boys (p < .05) separately. The proportion of high achievers was higher, and the proportion of low achievers was lower in the experimental group. In order to explain the level of reading comprehension in the experimental group Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used. The main explanatory factor for reading comprehension was writing with β = .44. As a tentative conclusion it was suggested that the extended writing in combination with the self-regulated learning environment can promote reading comprehension in grade two, whereas home literacy had no impact on reading comprehension in this context.     

The effect of available choice on the cognitive processing of pictures

This study explores whether people orient to and encode pictures differently depending on whether the pictures were chosen from a limited or an extensive array of options. Participants viewed pictures on a computer as part of a within-subjects experiment (N = 43). In one condition, participants viewed pictures that they had chosen from a limited array of 6 options. In the other condition, participants viewed pictures chosen from an extensive array of 24 options. Heart rate and recognition served as indicators of orienting and encoding. Results showed that pictures chosen from limited options elicited orienting responses. Pictures chosen from extensive options, on the other hand, did not elicit orienting responses. Recognition was fastest and most accurate for pictures selected from limited options, suggesting that participants encoded them better. Based on these results, we suggest ways of conceptualizing the attributes of computer media that uniquely affect cognitive processing.     

Aging, motor control, and the performance of computer mouse tasks

Because of the increased presence of computers in work and everyday life and the demographic "graying" of America, there is a need for interface designs that promote accessibility for older people. This study examined age differences in the performance of basic computer mouse control techniques. An additional goal of the study was to examine the influence of age-related changes in psychomotor abilities on mouse control. A total of 60 participants in 3 age groups (20-39 years, 40-59 years, and 60-75 years) performed 4 target acquisition tasks (pointing, clicking, double-clicking, and dragging) using a computer mouse. The data indicated that the older participants had more difficulty performing mouse tasks than the younger participants. Differences in performance attributable to age were found for the more complex tasks (clicking and double-clicking). Furthermore, age-related changes in psychomotor abilities were related to age differences in performance. We discuss applications to computer interface designs. Actual or potential applications of this research include specifications for computer mouse design to accommodate older populations.     

Compared to a small,supervised lab experiment,a large,unsupervised web-based experiment on a previously unknown effect has benefits that outweigh its potential costs

Research on internet-based studies has generally supported their benefits. However, that research sometimes did not directly compare internet-based to traditional delivery, often used non-experimental methods and small samples, and has not used an entirely unknown effect for the comparison to completely rule out demand characteristics. Our lab experiment (N = 180), in which participants were supervised by an experimenter, demonstrated previously unexamined effects. Both the frighteningness and disgustingness of insects made people want to kill them, and females wanted to kill the insects more than males did. There were also some interesting patterns of interaction with gender, but they were not statistically significant. However, an unsupervised, but larger, web-based experiment (N = 1301) produced the same significant main effects as the lab study, and the same patterns of interaction that had occurred at a non-significant level in the lab study occurred at a statistically significant level in the web-based study. These results add support to the finding that although web-based studies may incur risks by being unsupervised, such as some participants not being genuinely motivated to follow the instructions correctly, the risks are compensated for by the much larger sample size afforded by the web-based approach.     

Evaluation of complex and dynamic safety tasks in human learning using the ACT-R and SOAR skill acquisition theories

This paper provides a human-centered analytical approach to learning dynamic and complex tasks using the Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational (ACT-R) and the State, Operator And Result (SOAR) models by comparing the task times of the model and the subjects. Twenty-one full time assembly line workers at a local computer company (14 men and 7 women) from ages 18-32 (Mean = 19.86 years, SD = 0.96 years) were randomly selected for this analysis. The task involved the placement of printed circuit board (PCB) components on the flow line of the desktop computer mother board manufacturing process. The overall timed performance of the subjects indicated that the match between the model and the subjects was good, resulting in an R² - value of 0.94. At the unit task level performance, and R² - value of 0.96 for placing the PCBs on the flow line. For tasks involving picking and searching of PCBs, the obtained R² - value was 0.76 and R² of 0.68 at the keystroke level. Findings revealed that the model already started out with a complete strategy of performing the task, whereas the human participants had to acquire additional learning information during the trials. Efforts will be made in the future to determine how the performance of the human subjects could be enhanced to meet or the same level as the model performance.     

Profiling the non-users: Examination of life-position indicators,sensation seeking,shyness, and loneliness among users and non-users of social network sites

The aim of the current study is to explore if there are differences between users and non-users of social network sites in terms of their sensation seeking, life-position indicators, shyness, and loneliness. Using data from a survey of adults 19–76 years old, results revealed that compared to an average Facebook user, a non-user is significantly older and scores higher on shyness and loneliness, is less socially active, and less prone to sensation seeking activities. Facebook is not a substitute channel of communication for those who are shy and lonely and lack face-to-face interactions. This study extends our knowledge of digital divide, uses and gratifications theory, and social enhancement hypothesis.     

The gorilla in the room: The impacts of video-game play on visual attention

Early studies of visual attention noted a phenomenon termed ‘inattention blindness’ – the inability of participants to see clear stimuli enter the visual field when attending to something else in that field – and sought to expand the understanding of the phenomenon (,  and ). Other research has focused on the changes to the human brain and cognitive functions as a result of video game play, both in positive and negative contexts (Howard-Jones, Ott, van Leeuwen, and De Smedt (2010)). This quasi-experimental study sought to corroborate some of the findings that tie together these seemingly disparate lines of research, adapting the methodology of the most cited inattention blindness experiment (Simons & Chabris, 1999).     

Evaluation of lifestyle risk factors and job status associated with back injuries among employees at a mid-western university

For decades the literature has shown an association between work-related risk factors and back injuries among employees. However, only recently, there is a growing body of literature that suggests lifestyle risk factors may also be associated with back injuries. The purpose of this research was to determine if selected lifestyle risk factors are associated with a greater risk of back injuries. Further, there may be an association between job status and incident reporting, lost workdays cases and workers' compensation (WC) paid for back injuries among university employees. Aggregate data from a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) questionnaire were used to analyze 6053 university employees for lifestyle risk factors associated with back injuries. Of the total sample, 57% (n = 3471) were female; 46% (n = 2778) worked as clerical or service staff; and the mean age was 45 years. Pearson chi-square (χ²) analyses indicate that job status (χ² = 307.07, df = 4, p < .001) and gender (χ² = 40.14, df = 2, p < .001) were associated with high risk back score. An ordinal regression analysis predicted that participants who exercised vigorously for at least 20 min, 3 or more days per week, or 3 or more days per week of combined vigorous exercise and moderate-intensity physical activity are almost 30 times less likely to have a high back risk score compared to participants who do not exercise vigorously or participate in less than 3 days per week of moderate-intensity physical activity (OR = 29.68, 95% CI = 25-35.25, p < .001). Participants who have a low risk score for BMI are three times less likely (OR = 3.20, 95% CI = 2.74-3.75, p < .001) to have a high back risk score when compared to participants who have a high risk score for BMI. A regression tree predicted high back risk scores were participants who: (1) receive an adequate amount of physical activity or vigorous exercise and is a male service or clerical staff; (2) do not receive an adequate amount of physical activity or vigorous exercise, and is not overweight; or (3) who do not receive an adequate amount of physical activity or vigorous exercise, and is overweight. Six years of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 300 logs and WC claims data paid for back injuries supported the finding that clerical or service staff had the greatest risk of back injuries. Based on the results of this study, there appears to be an association between lifestyle risk factors, job status and back injuries among university employees. We believe our evaluation approach may be used to study other work populations to verify the outcomes observed in this study.     

Computer usage and access in low-income urban communities

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of home computer access on low-income families participating in the Computer for Families program. The study focused on participants (1) general computer usage, access and knowledge; (2) employment; (3) education; and (4) their children’s-computer access, usage and academic performance. The study methodology consisted of a quasi-experimental design using qualitative and quantitative approaches, including focus groups, pretests and post-tests, and self-reported surveys with experimental and control groups. Statistically significant findings suggest that participants in the Computers for Families program were more likely than non-participants to have access to the Internet from home, use a computer for more than 1 h per day, complete online job applications, and submit job applications and resumes electronically. Social and behavioral implications regarding computer access and usage in low-income urban communities are discussed.     

Stills,not full motion,for interactive spatial training: American,Turkish and Taiwanese female pre-service teachers learn spatial visualization

This study investigated how female elementary education pre-service teachers in the United States, Turkey and Taiwan learned spatial skills from structured activities involving discrete, as opposed to continuous, transformations in interactive computer programs, and how these activities transferred to non-related standardized tests of spatial visualization and mental rotation. The study used a pretest, intervention, posttest research design with experimental and comparison groups. The experimental group participated in transformational geometry visualization exercises, once a week for six weeks, for approximately 20 minutes each session. Instruments were standardized measures of spatial visualization and mental rotation; intervention activity worksheets directed the participants through 2D and 3D transformational geometry tasks in computer environments. For Turkish and Taiwanese participants, the experimental group improved significantly more than the control group in spatial visualization, while the American participants showed no such significant improvement.     

Career HOPES: An Internet-delivered career development intervention

Career HOPES is an Internet-delivered group counseling intervention designed to facilitate occupational exploration and career decision making. The intervention includes automated interactive lessons and self-assessments, homework assignments, and group discussions in private online forums. A randomized, controlled experiment (N = 64) was conducted to evaluate (a) the efficacy of Career HOPES and (b) the contribution of professional moderation of the online group discussions to outcomes. Participants in two treatment conditions showed greater gains than control condition participants in career decidedness as measured by the Occupational Alternatives Questionnaire (d = .54), occupationally relevant self-knowledge (d = .58), and emission of career exploration behaviors (d = .50). In one of the treatment conditions, the online group discussions were moderated by a psychologist with career counseling experience; in the other treatment condition, the discussions were unmoderated. Professional moderation resulted in better outcomes on several variables and greater overall satisfaction with the intervention.