Christopher B. Mayhorn

Effect of Age on Event-Based and Time-Based Prospective Memory

The magnitude of age differences on event- and time-based prospective memory tasks was investigated in 2 experiments. Participants performed a working memory task and were also required to perform either an event- or time-based prospective action. Control participants performed either the working memory task only or the prospective memory task only. Results yielded age differences on both prospective tasks. The age effect was particularly marked on the time-based task. Performance of the event-based prospective task, however, had a higher cost to performance on the concurrent working memory task than the time-based task did, suggesting that event-based responding has a substantial attentional requirement. The older adults also made a significant number of time-monitoring errors when time monitoring was their sole task. This suggests that some time-based prospective memory deficits in older adults are due to a fundamental deficit in time monitoring rather than to prospective memory.

A Survey of World Wide Web Use in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

We conducted a survey to document World Wide Web use patterns in middle-aged (ages 40-59), young-old (ages 60-74), and old-old adults (ages 75-92). We conducted this survey of 550 adults 40 years old and over in southeastern Michigan, and the overall response rate was approximately 71%. The results suggested that (a) there are distinct age and demographic differences in individuals who use the Web; (b) middle-aged and older Web users are similar in their use patterns; (c) the two primary predictors for not using the Web are lack of access to a computer and lack of knowledge about the Web; (d) old-old adults have the least interest in using the Web compared with middle-aged and young-old adults; and (e) the primary content areas in learning how to use the Web are learning how to use electronic mail and accessing health information and information about traveling for pleasure. This research may serve as a preliminary attempt to ascertain the issues that must be faced in order to increase use of the World Wide Web in middle-aged and older adults.

Older Adults, Computer Training, and the Systems Approach: A Formula for Success.

Adults over the age of 65 are the fastest growing segment of computer users. Due to this increased demand, effective training programs are essential. Although previous research findings illustrate the importance of older adults’ goals, abilities, and experience levels in learning to use computers, these factors are often neglected in the development of computer training courses. We apply a systems approach to help bridge this gap between research and practice to address the disparity between what older adults would like to learn and the content of computer training courses. We review the literature on training older adults to use computers and report data from a set of structured interviews to illustrate the criticality of each step in the systems approach. Lastly, we provide the means to evaluate existing computer training programs and suggest modifications for improvement. Our purpose is not to evaluate specific programs, but to educate developers about an approach that has proven successful. Specifically, we provide suggestions for effective computer training for older adults.

Beyond abuse and exposure: framing the impact of prescription-medication sharing.

OBJECTIVES We sought to document the frequency, circumstances, and consequences of prescription medication-sharing behaviors and to use a medication-sharing impact framework to organize the resulting data regarding medication-loaning and -borrowing practices. METHODS One-on-one interviews were conducted in 2006, and participants indicated (1) prescription medicine taken in the past year, (2) whether they had previously loaned or borrowed prescription medicine, (3) scenarios in which they would consider loaning or borrowing prescription medicine, and (4) the types of prescription medicines they had loaned or borrowed. RESULTS Of the 700 participants, 22.9% reported having loaned their medications to someone else and 26.9% reported having borrowed someone elses prescription. An even greater proportion of participants reported situations in which medication sharing was acceptable to them. CONCLUSIONS Sharing prescription medication places individuals at risk for diverse consequences, and further research regarding medication loaning and borrowing behaviors and their associated consequences is merited.

Effects of Age and Instructions on Teaching Older Adults To Use ELDERCOMM, an Electronic Bulletin Board System

This study focused on how to train older adults to perform computer procedures. Young-old (aged 60 74 years) and old-old (aged 75 years and older) adults were instructed on how to use ELDERCOMM , an electronic bulletin board system using one of two types of text-based instructions. The first set of directions consisted of illustrated, step-by-step instructions (simple condition). The second set of directions included the same step-by-step instructions as in the first set, but explanatory information about how the bulletin board system worked was added before theThis study focused on how to train older adults to perform computer procedures. Young-old (aged 60 74 years) and old-old (aged 75 years and older) adults were instructed on how to use ELDERCOMM , an electronic bulletin board system using one of two types of text-based instructions. The first set of directions consisted of illustrated, step-by-step instructions (simple condition). The second set of directions included the same step-by-step instructions as in the first set, but explanatory information about how the bulletin board system worked was added before the

Decisions, Decisions: Analysis of Age, Cohort, and Time of Testing on Framing of Risky Decision Options

Decision making in uncertain environments is a daily challenge faced by adults of all ages. Framing decision options as either gains or losses is a common method of altering decision-making behavior. In the experiment reported here, benchmark decision-making data collected in the 1970s by Tversky and Kahneman (1981, 1988) were compared with data collected from current samples of young and older adults to determine whether behavior was consistent across time. Although differences did emerge between the benchmark and the present samples, the effect of framing on decision behavior was relatively stable. The present findings suggest that adults of all ages are susceptible to framing effects. Results also indicated that apparent age differences might be better explained by an analysis of cohort and time-of-testing effects. Actual or potential applications of this research include an understanding of how framing might influence the decision-making behavior of people of all ages in a number of applied contexts, such as product warning interactions and medical decision scenarios.

Perceptions of Driver Distraction by Cellular Phone Users and Nonusers

The present study examined the perceptions of cellular phone users and nonusers on issues relating to vehicle control and driver distraction. Participants were asked if they own a cellular phone; if so, how much they use it; and their beliefs regarding cellular phone use while driving, including actions involving the use of cellular phones which could potentially cause vehicular accidents and the need for laws. A total of 330 individuals participated; 72% owned a cellular phone. The results indicate that nonusers of cellular phones believed more strongly than users that cellular phone use while driving negatively affects driving performance and that talking on the cellular phone could potentially cause an accident, and they also had a greater preference for new laws limiting such acts. Cellular phone users, more than nonusers, preferred no laws limiting cellular phone use and believed more strongly that other people driving while using a cellular phone were more dangerous than themselves doing the same. Implications of these results are discussed. Actual or potential applications of this research include interventions that limit driver distractibility.

Predictors of electronic bulletin board system use in older adults

Recent studies indicate that attitudes toward computers are improved in older adults following brief training sessions (G. Jay & S. L. Willis, 1992; R. W. Morrell, D. C. Park, C. B. Mayhorn, & K. V. Echt, 1996a; E. Zandri & N. Charness, 1989). In the present research, the utility of the attitude construct as a predictor of computer use is explored. Thirty-nine older adults were trained to use the ELDERCOMM electronic bulletin board system (R. W. Morrell, D. C. Park, C. B. Mayhorn, & K. V. Echt, 1996b), and they were then given the opportunity to use the system as often as they liked over a 2-month participation interval. Participants in the study had more positive attitudes toward computers than an unselected group of older adults , and the most positive attitudes were found in the group who returned to use the bulletin board frequently during the participation interval. However, the most important predictor of continued use of the system is success at initial training. Age, education, and income did not ...

Providing cognitive support with technology-based warning systems

New and emerging technologies promise to revolutionize risk communication. The benefits of technology are discussed with regard to the components of a recently described warning process model. Examples are provided to illustrate how technology can potentially improve information accessibility and cognitive support. Design principles such as warning interactivity, dynamic modification and personalization are considered as potential applications of technology that should enhance warning effectiveness in future technology-based systems.

Prescription Medication Sharing Among Adolescents: Prevalence, Risks, and Outcomes

We interviewed 594 adolescents throughout the United States. One in five reported sharing prescription medication. Of these, less than half received instructions, many delayed professional care, few informed providers, and a third reported experiencing side effects. Efforts to reduce medication sharing prevalence and risks among adolescents may be justified.