Baby Boomers and Technology: Factors and Challenges in Utilizing Mobile Devices

This exploratory dissertation study reports an investigation of Baby Boomers utilizing mobile technology to determine how Baby Boomers were utilizing mobile devices and if there were any types of challenges and affecting factors some Baby Boomers could face when searching for information in an online mobile environment. Fifty Baby Boomer participants were recruited by a purposive snowball sampling method and were divided into two groups, twenty-five Younger Boomers and twenty-five Older Boomers to look for comparisons and differences among the Baby Boomers in regards to mobile technology usage, search activities, environmental context, frequency and duration of search activities, as well as the factors and challenges they could encounter while using a mobile device since the age range spans nineteen years. The study was designed to answer two research questions: How are Baby Boomers utilizing a mobile device to search for information in terms of the mobile device types, the environmental contexts and the types of information searched?; and What are the challenges concerning Baby Boomers utilizing a mobile device in searching for information and their affecting factors? This exploratory dissertation study used a qualitative methods approach based in grounded theory to analyze the data. Participants were given a choice of using print or electronic instruments to participate in the study. Multiple collection methods were used to gather the data, consisting of a questionnaire and solicited diaries that were kept for a period of seven days with follow-up interviews given to all participants. The grounded theory approach created a coding schema of ten types of challenges representing five major categories and twenty-three affecting factors. The comparison and interpretation of the search activities, the types of challenges and the affecting factors led to the development of the Baby Boomer Mobile Device Information Searching Model. Theoretical, methodological and practical implications that include system design and library services have been discussed providing suggestions to system designers, researchers and information professionals within and outside the Library and Information Science field

Youth and Digital Media: From Credibility to Information Quality

Building upon a process-and context-oriented information quality framework, this paper seeks to map and explore what we know about the ways in which young users of age 18 and under search for information online, how they evaluate information, and how their related practices of content creation, levels of new literacies, general digital media usage, and social patterns affect these activities. A review of selected literature at the intersection of digital media, youth, and information quality -- primarily works from library and information science, sociology, education, and selected ethnographic studies -- reveals patterns in youth's information-seeking behavior, but also highlights the importance of contextual and demographic factors both for search and evaluation. Looking at the phenomenon from an information-learning and educational perspective, the literature shows that youth develop competencies for personal goals that sometimes do not transfer to school, and are sometimes not appropriate for school. Thus far, educational initiatives to educate youth about search, evaluation, or creation have depended greatly on the local circumstances for their success or failure

Overcoming barriers and increasing independence: service robots for elderly and disabled people

This paper discusses the potential for service robots to overcome barriers and increase independence of elderly and disabled people. It includes a brief overview of the existing uses of service robots by disabled and elderly people and advances in technology which will make new uses possible and provides suggestions for some of these new applications. The paper also considers the design and other conditions to be met for user acceptance. It also discusses the complementarity of assistive service robots and personal assistance and considers the types of applications and users for which service robots are and are not suitable

Human experience in the natural and built environment : implications for research policy and practice

22nd IAPS conference. Edited book of abstracts. 427 pp. University of Strathclyde, Sheffield and West of Scotland Publication. ISBN: 978-0-94-764988-3

Mediated Communication and Customer Service Experiences: Psychological and Demographic Predictors of User Evaluations in the United States

People around the world who seek to interact with large organizations increasingly find they must do so via mediated and automated communication. Organizations often deploy both mediated and automated platforms, such as instant messaging and interactive voice response systems (IVRs), for efficiency and cost-savings. Customer and client responses to these systems range from delight to frustration. To better understand the factors affecting people’s satisfaction with these systems, we conducted a generally representative U.S. national survey (N = 1321). Here, we found that people still overwhelmingly like and trust in-person customer service over mediated and automated modalities. As to demographic attitude predictors, age was important (older respondents liked mediated systems less), but income and education were not strong attitude predictors. For personality variables, innovativeness was positively associated with mediated system satisfaction. But communication apprehensiveness, which we expected to be related to satisfaction, was not. We conclude by discussing implications for the burgeoning field of human-machine communication, as well as social policy, equity, and the pullulating digital services divide

Black and White Adult Family Members' Attitudes Toward a Dementia Diagnosis

To examine potential benefits of and barriers to diagnosis from the perspective of black and white adults directly affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD). DESIGN : Telephone survey. SETTING : Convenience sample recruited from two U.S. metropolitan areas. PARTICIPANTS : One hundred seventy-eight family members of people with AD, including current and former AD caregivers and immediate blood relatives of someone with AD. MEASUREMENTS : Respondents were asked to rate the importance of eight benefits of and 16 barriers to obtaining a diagnosis. RESULTS : Family members strongly endorse several benefits of obtaining a diagnosis, including getting information, finding out what is wrong with their relative, and prompting future planning. A majority of survey respondents did not endorse any barriers examined. Lack of a cure for AD and the belief that little can be done for someone with AD were the most frequently endorsed barriers. Black respondents endorsed five of the eight benefits more frequently than white respondents. CONCLUSION : Black and white adults with a family member who has received an diagnosis of AD perceive a range of benefits and few barriers to the diagnostic process examined in this study. Their positive experiences might be instructive to families considering pursuing a diagnosis and to physicians who may be reluctant to offer screening or referral because of the belief that families have little to gain.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65592/1/j.1532-5415.2009.02395.x.pd

Human-computer interaction for development (HCI4D):the Southern African landscape

Human-Computer interaction for development (HCI4D) research aims to maximise the usability of interfaces for interacting with technologies designed specifically for under-served, under-resourced, and under-represented populations. In this paper we provide a snapshot of the Southern African HCI4D research against the background of the global HCI4D research landscape.We commenced with a systematic literature review of HCI4D (2010-2017) then surveyed Southern African researchers working in the area. The contribution is to highlight the context- specific themes and challenges that emerged from our investigation

Between Fear and Trust: Factors Influencing Older Adults' Evaluation of Socially Assistive Robots

Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) are expected to support autonomy, aging in place, and wellbeing in later life. For successful assimilation, it is necessary to understand factors affecting older adults Quality Evaluations (QEs) of SARs, including the pragmatic and hedonic evaluations and overall attractiveness. Previous studies showed that trust in robots significantly enhances QE, while technophobia considerably decreases it. The current study aimed to examine the relative impact of these two factors on older persons QE of SARs. The study was based on an online survey of 384 individuals aged 65 and above. Respondents were presented with a video of a robotic system for physical and cognitive training and filled out a questionnaire relating to that system. The results indicated a positive association between trust and QE and a negative association between technophobia and QE. A simultaneous exploration demonstrated that the relative impact of technophobia is significantly more substantial than that of trust. In addition, the pragmatic qualities of the robot were found to be more crucial to its QE than the social aspects of use. The findings suggest that implementing robotics technology in later life strongly depends on reducing older adults technophobia regarding the convenience of using SARs and highlight the importance of simultaneous explorations of facilitators and inhibitors

Time Changes Everything: Examining Socioemotional Selectivity’s Effects on Entrepreneurial Intentions and Attitudes

Entrepreneurship is still regarded as a popular career choice across generations, however, the Millennial generation has seen the lowest rates of entrepreneurship among past generations. The purpose of this study is to identify psychological mechanisms that could explain this drop in entrepreneurship, discerning whether or not time perspective has a significant effect on an individual’s entrepreneurial intentions and attitudes. Two studies were conducted: (1) a 2x2 experiment that manipulated time perspective (open time vs limited time) and perceived certainty (perceived certainty vs. perceived uncertainty) to see what effects these variables had on entrepreneurial intentions and emotion regulation regarding entrepreneurial goals. The results suggest that open time perspective has a decreased effect on entrepreneurial attitudes or intentions if the individual is certain about the business opportunity they are considering. Furthermore, open time perspective may lead to a decrease in entrepreneurial intentions, initially at least, as the individuals may deem it safer to improve their knowledge and experience before pursuing entrepreneurship as they have perceived open time ahead of them. In contrast, counterintuitive to what most millennials generally think, those that are certain and have a limited time perspective have higher entrepreneurial intentions and positive emotions. This thesis accordingly offers important implications for entrepreneurial theory and practice