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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes data generated from a comprehensive study in which human factors techniques were applied to the analysis of 25 personal and instrumental activities of daily living (ADLs) performed by 60 older adults (age 55 to 93 years) living in the community. Demand profiles generated from task analysis of video-taped ADLs identify the demands inherent in task activities and the objects and environments associated with them. Examples of four different approaches to examine ADL performance using demand profiles are presented: global descriptions of demands across all ADL tasks, task component profiles, task-specific profiles, and action profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a study conducted on the correlation between childhood abuse and major depression and psychiatric comorbidity (MDD) in adulthood. The results of the study showed that child abuse and neglect led to a 51% increase in the chances of MDD in young adulthood, physical sexual abuse increased the risk of lifetime MDD by 59% and multiple forms of abuse increased chances of lifetime MDD by 75%.

Much of the current research in the area of cognitive aging has been focused on investigating specific processes presumed to be responsible for the age differences observed in particular cognitive tasks. A central thesis of this article is that age-related effects on cognitive variables seldom occur in isolation, and hence, they are best interpreted in the context of the structural interrelations that exist among variables and the relations of age on that organizational structure. Results from analyses of 2 separate data sets suggest that large proportions of the age-related effects across a wide range of cognitive variables are shared and that independent, or unique, age-related effects often contribute relatively little to the age differences observed in many cognitive variables. These findings imply that it is important to consider the structure within which a variable occurs when attempting to investigate the processes responsible for age-related differences on that variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A challenge facing the engineering community is to find ways to integrate older people into the labor force. Despite laws regarding age discrimination and compulsory retirement, older people's participation in the labor force is declining. Unless strategies are developed to keep older people in the workforce, the issues of economic dependency and intergenerational equity are likely to become formidable in the near future. There are a number of areas where engineering applications can enhance older adults' employment opportunities. These include training, workplace and equipment design, and job design. An overview of current knowledge regarding aging and work is provided. Gaps in the knowledge base are identified as areas for research. Examples of how engineering can contribute to the integration of older people into work settings are presented.

An emerging problem that encompasses both traditional ergonomic as well as macroergonomic concerns involves assessing the potential implications of computer-based tasks for older workers. An increasing older workforce and the influx of computer technology into a wide variety of work settings has motivated both a re-examination of the literature concerning ageing and work performance and research that more directly addresses the computer-interactive task domain. In this paper, we overview this literature and raise a number of crucial issues concerning potential age differences in performance and stress associated with computer-based tasks. Underlying our discussion throughout is the intention of identifying the challenges that await interested practitioners and researchers.

Older adults frequently encounter difficulties performing daily living activities. Often times these difficulties arise because environmental demands create barriers which hinder task performance. Currently, there is little empirical data that relate environmental demands to functional capabilities of older adults. The concepts and methods of Human Factors Engineering can be used to accomplish this goal. Human Factors views task performance within a systems context and maintains that successful task performance is dependent on a match between task demands and human capabilities. This article will discuss how Human Factors methodologies can be used to analyze problems encountered by older adults performing routine activities. Data from a study concerned with identifying physiological demands associated with personal and instrumental activities of daily living will be used to demonstrate the utility of using this approach.

This study investigated the extent to which age had an impact on the performance of computer-based work. Three simulated real-world computer-interactive tasks that varied in complexity and pacing requirements were evaluated. Ss included 65 women, ranging in age from 25 years to 70 years. The methodology encompassed physiological, subjective, and objective performance measures. The data indicated that previous computer experience and age had a significant impact on the performance of the 3 tasks. Increased age was associated with longer response times and a greater number of errors for all 3 tasks. Age also influenced perceptions of fatigue and task difficulty. The findings are discussed in terms of the implications for training and job design.

Six age groups were compared with respect to discrepancy between real and ideal self concepts and the relationship between life satisfaction and discrepancy in self concepts. The subjects, ranging in age from 20 to 75 years, completed two self descriptive adjective rating scales which assessed real and ideal self concept and a life satisfaction index. Significant differences were found among age groups for real and ideal self concepts, life satisfaction, and discrepancy between real and ideal self concept scores. Age was significantly correlated with real and ideal self concept, discrepancy between real and ideal self concepts and life satisfaction. Life satisfaction was significantly correlated with real self concept and discrepancy between real and ideal self concepts. Trends in the data suggested that the younger subjects (20-25 years) had lower real and ideal self ratings and were less satisfied with their lives than the elderly subjects (60-75 years).

In location tasks such as assembly of a control panel, operators respond to stimulus information by locating a given target in an extensive set of response alternatives. Arrangement of the response alternatives and the method of presenting the location information (cueing), as well as the interaction between these factors, were hypothesised to influence performance in this type of task. To test these hypotheses, a factorial experiment involving 60 subjects was performed in which five levels of grouping and four levels of cueing were investigated. Grouping appeared to affect location accuracy more than location time, whereas the effects of cueing were found to be significant for both location accuracy and time. The absence of an interaction effect between grouping and cueing suggested that the effects of these factors on performance were independent.