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Publications (283)
Background
Dementia exerts a significant global impact on societies and individuals. Spatial disorientation emerges as one of the initial symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) (Coughlan et al., 2018). In our Meta‐analysis on spatial navigation in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) we obtained the standardized mean difference (Hedge’s g) between this po...
The development of the Personal Reminder Information and Social Management (PRISM) System began fifteen years ago with a user-centered design process that resulted in PRISM 1.0, a desktop application that ran on a personal computer and included a keyboard, mouse, and printer. However, as the technological landscape changed, so did PRISM. Following...
Technology applications can play a key role in enhancing social and cognitive engagement, decreasing loneliness, and facilitating access to resources among older adults. This presentation will focus on data from the cross-site randomized field trial that evaluated the PRISM 2.0 system, an integrated software system (developed by the Center for Rese...
Technology holds promise for enhancing the social connectivity and reducing loneliness among older adults, especially those that are socially isolated. However, technology systems can be overly complex and challenging especially for those with limited technology experience. Common barriers to technology uptake among aging adults include usability i...
Older adults with cognitive impairment (OAwCI) may be challenged by increasing demands to engage with technology to accomplish daily activities. We investigated technology attitudes, proficiency, and usage across health, social, transportation, leisure, and domestic domains among OAwCI, including those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), traumati...
Understanding the daily challenges experienced by older adults living with cognitive impairment is essential for developing strategies to support their health and quality of life. These impairments involve cognitive changes that can pose barriers to daily activities, especially complex tasks such as managing medications. However, the specific diffi...
Can age-related differences in complex task performance be overcome with simple behavioral interventions? We monitored differences between older and younger adults’ performance in a complex psychomotor task with the intent of developing a behavioral intervention grounded in principles of deliberate practice. An older (N = 24, M age = 71) and younge...
As the prevalence of older adults with a cognitive impairment (PwCI) continues to increase, it is critical to identify cognitive tasks which are challenging for them, as well as areas of needed support for both the PwCI and their care partner (CP). Identifying discordant reports about daily challenges among dyads may also flag risks for potentially...
The global population of individuals aged 65 and over is projected to nearly double by 2050, reaching 1.6 billion. This demographic shift is expected to drive a significant increase in dementia cases, with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) accounting for 60-80% of these cases. While episodic memory loss is a hallmark of AD, spatial disorientation is often o...
The PRISM system is an integrated software system designed, using a user-centered design approach, to foster social connectivity, cognitive engagement, and resource access among aging adults. Versions of PRISM have been evaluated in diverse contexts and geographic regions, and with diverse populations. This session will discuss how PRISM has been a...
Long-term adoption of technology is influenced both by the design of the technology itself as well by the users’ attitudes towards the technology. Technology acceptance models have long indicated that individual differences in perceptions of ease of use and perceptions of usefulness are critical predictors of acceptance and use. Additional predicti...
The Mobile Device Proficiency Questionnaire (MDPQ) is a well-established, reliable, and valid instrument to measure basic and advanced mobile device skills among older adults. We offer a German adaptation of the MDPQ and report reliability and validity findings. A controlled translation procedure was applied. The translated scale was tested in two...
Background and objectives
This study aims to develop a machine learning-based approach to predict adherence to gamified cognitive training using a variety of baseline measures (demographic, attitudinal, and cognitive abilities) as well as game performance data. We aimed to: (1) identify the cognitive games with the strongest adherence prediction an...
Background
Cognitive impairment and dementia pose a significant challenge to the aging population, impacting the well-being, quality of life, and autonomy of affected individuals. As the population ages, this will place enormous strain on health care and economic systems. While computerized cognitive training programs have demonstrated some promise...
Background and Objectives
Advances in AI-based virtual assistants provide a potential opportunity for older adults to use this technology in the context of health information-seeking. Meta-analysis on trust in AI shows that users are influenced by the accuracy and reliability of the AI trustee. We evaluated these dimensions for responses to Medicar...
Background and Objectives
Technology has potential for providing support for aging adults. This study evaluated the Personal Reminder Information and Social Management 2.0 (PRISM 2.0) software, in terms of enhancing social engagement and quality of life, and decreasing loneliness among older adults.
Research Design and Methods
The randomized field...
This study examined the feasibility of using tailored text messages to promote adherence to longitudinal protocols and determined what facets of text message tone influence motivation. Forty-three older adults ( M age = 73.21, SD = 5.37) were recruited to engage in video-game-based cognitive training for 10 consecutive days. Participants received e...
Being able to navigate one’s environment is a critical skill that contributes to daily living in a variety of circumstances. Navigation is also a complex skill, composed of multiple subskills that play a part in overall performance. Along with other facets of cognition, navigation ability is expected to decline as a part of normal aging processes....
Background
Dementia has a tremendous impact on societies and individuals world-wide. One of the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is spatial disorientation (Coughlan et al. 2018). Spatial orientation problems commonly manifest in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), which represents a state between cognitively healthy aging and dementia. It...
Some previous studies suggest that cognitive decline might be responsible for older adults being susceptible to phishing attempts and frauds, but results are not consistent. The current study utilized a structural equation modeling approach to examine the role of different cognitive abilities in fraud detection. We used data from the baseline of th...
Since being first introduced to the public in late 2022, chatbots that are based on large language models (LLMs) have attracted a great deal of attention. However, despite their popularity, these chatbots have been shown to give inaccurate information in response to user queries. Several polls conducted in 2022 suggest that the public is generally...
A growing challenge is ensuring that diverse older adults participate in research studies. If studies are not inclusive of diverse populations, it is not possible to determine if interventions are likely to be universally beneficial or reduce health disparities. Smaller and more regional studies are particularly likely to struggle to recruit and re...
The Augmenting User Geocoordinates & Mobility with ENhanced Tutorials (AUGMENT) project aims to support aging adults experiencing navigation difficulties accompanying cognitive impairments due to stroke, mild cognitive impairment, and traumatic brain injury. We describe the process and principles for designing tutorials for Uber and Google Maps, tw...
The population is aging and a subset of older adults will have some level of cognitive impairment. Human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) practitioners must consider them in the design process but often are not prepared to do so, lacking relevant experience or training. In this panel, an interdisciplinary team with expertise in aging, in general, and cogn...
Introduction: Navigation, as a complex skill important for independent living, requires a variety of cognitive processes. Current scales tapping components are lengthy and can be burdensome for older adults.
Methods: Community-dwelling older adults ( n = 380, age 60–90 years) completed an online survey tapping wayfinding, being lost navigating, and...
Background and objectives:
The future of cognitive assessment is likely to involve mobile applications for smartphones and tablets; cognitive training is also often delivered in these formats. Unfortunately, low adherence to these programs can hinder efforts at the early detection of cognitive decline and interfere with examining cognitive trainin...
Background
Older adults tend to have insufficient health literacy, which includes eHealth literacy—the ability to access, assess, and use digital health information. Interventions using methods such as collaborative learning (CL) and individualistic learning (IL) may be effective in addressing older adults’ low eHealth literacy, but little is known...
Early detection of age-related cognitive decline has transformative potential to advance the scientific understanding of cognitive impairments and possible treatments by identifying relevant participants for clinical trials. Furthermore, early detection is also key to early intervention once effective treatments have been developed. Novel approache...
The United Nations’ theme for the International Day of Older Persons 2021 was “Digital Equity for All Ages”. I define digital equity, then compare progress in North America, focusing on Canada, the USA, and Mexico for internet, smartphone, and broadband access. An age-related digital divide for internet and computer use, first identified in the USA...
Cognitive training has the potential to help older adults maintain or improve their cognitive abilities, but there has been debate regarding how susceptible cognitive outcomes in these studies are to placebo effects. Some previous research has found that expectations can shape performance on study outcomes, although this is not always a consistent...
In December of 2021 and January of 2022, current leaders of Centers on Aging belonging to the GSA Age Directors interest group were invited to fill out a survey inquiring about their backgrounds, training for leadership, and perceived needs for training via an online Qualtrics survey. Thirty-one responses were received though a few responses were m...
The aging of the population is projected to continue for the upcoming decades. Thus, innovative strategies are needed to support current and future cohorts of older adults. In this regard, there are exciting developments in technology that have the potential to meet the needs of population aging. This summary presentation will discuss emerging tech...
Navigation is a complex skill that is used in everyday living, whether it be to travel across a country or to travel to a local store. How one successfully navigates through their environment involves many different processes, including spatial navigation, route generation, and orientation. An issue with investigating those separate constructs with...
As the population ages, the number of older adults experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease, and other forms of dementia will increase dramatically over the next few decades. Unfortunately, cognitive changes associated with these conditions threaten independence and quality of life. To address this, researchers have develop...
We know that older adults are less likely to own certain technological devices, such as smartphones, a technology now integral to telehealth. However, for those older adults who do own devices, we know very little about how their devices may differ from those of younger adults. The age of a device can determine the types of programs it can run, as...
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected our day-to-day life in the last few years. This problem becomes even more challenging when older adults are considered due to their less powerful immune system and vulnerability to infectious diseases, especially in Florida where 4.5 million people aged 65 and over reside. With its long coastline, larg...
Adequate adherence is a necessary condition for success with any intervention, including for computerized cognitive training designed to mitigate age-related cognitive decline. Tailored prompting systems offer promise for promoting adherence and facilitating intervention success. However, developing adherence support systems capable of just-in-time...
Subtyping of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can facilitate diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and disease management. It can also support the testing of new prevention and treatment strategies through clinical trials. In this study, we employed spectral clustering to cluster 29,922 AD patients in the OneFlorida Data Trust using their longitudinal EHR data o...
Worldwide population aging and rapid diffusion of digital technology have converged to produce an age-related digital divide in the adoption of technology, as seen in use of the Internet and ownership of smartphones. Given the centrality of these technologies for full participation in modern society, reducing that gap is an important challenge for...
Background and Objectives: Study recruitment and retention of older adults in research studies is a major challenge. Enhancing understanding of individual differences in motivations to participate, and predictors of motivators, can serve the dual aims of facilitating the recruitment and retention of older adults, benefiting study validity, economy,...
Subtyping of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can facilitate diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and disease management. It can also support the testing of new prevention and treatment strategies through clinical trials. In this study, we employed spectral clustering to cluster 29,922 AD patients in the OneFlorida Data Trust using their longitudinal EHR data o...
Research has pointed to the potential of extended reality (XR), including virtual, mixed, and augmented reality, for broadly impactful benefits, including learning, physical activity and health, and psychosocial aspects such as increased empathy and reduced loneliness. More research is needed to evaluate the outcomes of XR in new populations of use...
Digital (consumer) services, such as ticket machines, self-checkout, and online reservations, have become increasingly important in modern society. Studies on adoption of these services and openness to using future public digital services (e.g., online voting, online taxes, electronic patient records) have mostly focused on younger adults or nonrep...
In the present study, we examined three experimental cognitive interventions, two targeted at training general cognitive abilities and one targeted at training specific instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) abilities, along with one active control group to compare benefits of these interventions beyond expectation effects, in a group of ol...
Background and objectives:
Numerous longitudinal studies suggest that technology use in late adulthood is associated with cognitive benefits. Using data from a randomized controlled trial, the current study examined whether computer use improves cognition in older adults with little to no previous computer experience.
Research design and methods:...
A cognitive intervention study was conducted with the purpose of exploring methods to improve adherence to a technology-based cognitive intervention and uncover individual differences that predict adherence (N = 120). The study was divided into two phases: Phase 1, in which participants were asked to follow a prescribed schedule of training that in...
Objective
In the past few months, a large number of clinical studies on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been initiated worldwide to find effective therapeutics, vaccines, and preventive strategies for COVID-19. In this study, we aim to understand the landscape of COVID-19 clinical research and identify the issues that may cause recrui...
I describe the process of FSU becoming an Age-Friendly University (AFU). After hearing a presentation on AFU at the Age Directors meeting at GSA by Joann Montepare in November 2016, I judged that many of the ten principles of an AFU were already in operation at FSU. So, I decided to confer in December with VP for Faculty Development and Advancement...
Cognitive impairment (CI) refers to changes in cognition that result in difficulties remembering, learning new things, concentrating, making decisions important to everyday life, responding to environmental demands, or understanding social cues, and these difficulties can result in disability (limiting one or more major life activities). Existing a...
The massive potential of cognitive training and longitudinal cognitive assessment to detect and prevent age-related cognitive decline and dementia will not be realized unless individuals are willing and able to engage with these protocols for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, similar to other health behaviors, adherence to home-based asses...
Older adults are at greater risk of death and serious injury in transportation crashes which have been increasing in older adult cohorts relative to younger cohorts. Can technology provide a safer road environment? Even if technology can mitigate crash risk, is it acceptable to older road users? We outline the results from several studies that test...
Adherence to health behaviors is often poor, including adherence to at-home technology-based interventions. This study (N=120) explored adherence to a cognitive training intervention delivered via computer tablet, assessed adherence over a 4.5 month period, explored how individual difference factors shaped adherence, and tested the efficacy of mess...
The Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE) was founded in 1999 and is funded by the National Institute on Aging (National Institutes of Health; PO1 AG017211). This interdisciplinary team of psychologists and engineers focuses on design and deployment of technology with aging adults. In this panel session, we...
The past few decades have seen a reversal in the trend toward earlier retirement that followed the introduction of public pension systems. Further, workers in the very large baby boom cohort have expressed a strong desire to continue working past traditional retirement ages. Workers, even those in the later decades (e.g., 70s), are choosing to stay...
Using the coincidental timing of a national survey conducted in Japan before and after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, this study reports a rare natural experiment that explored how the experience of a nuclear disaster influenced technology adoption in middle-aged and older adults. We conducted path analyses assessing how technology...
The addition of video game-like elements to non-game activities, known as gamification, holds promise with respect to encouraging engagement with, and adherence to, health behaviors and healthcare interventions. Elements of gamification include the introduction of points systems, leaderboards, achievement badges, stories and themes, rewards, progre...
Technology presents opportunities to optimize whole person wellness and functioning. To understand tech readiness and the potential role of virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to support optimal aging, we surveyed 604 participants from the nationally representative RAND American Life Panel. Participant age ranged from 50-90+, 51.5% were female,...
Extended Reality (XR), which encompasses Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), holds a great deal of promise for improving the health and well-being of older adults. These opportunities include providing rehabilitation, physical exercise, skills training, leisure opportunities, and support for instrumental activities of daily living. Fur...
Objective
This study assessed older drivers’ driving behavior when using longitudinal and lateral vehicle warning systems together.
Background
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) can benefit drivers of all ages. Previous research with younger to middle-aged samples suggests that safety benefits are not necessarily additive with additional AD...
This study examined the impact of use of a computer software application designed specifically for older people known as PRISM—a Personal Reminder Information and Social Management system—which was installed on a computer that was placed in the homes of adults aged 65 to 98 years, who were at risk for social isolation and had minimal or no computer...
Technology can help support the goal of many older adults to live independently, though cognitive, attitudinal, and other barriers often result in a “digital divide” in which older adults use and adopt new technology at a lower rate compared to younger adults. Due to the many potential benefits of technology it is not surprising that interest in to...
Age-related perceptual and cognitive declines are associated with difficulties performing everyday tasks required to remain independent. Encouraging improvements in cognitive abilities have been shown for various short-term interventions but there is little evidence for direct impact on independence. This project compares the effect of broad and di...