Update
So last week we had our peer review and I got some really interesting insights into what I could have done better with my blog posts. One big takeaway was that I probably should have stuck closer to the research question I set at the beginning of the course. That said, I think I needed that phase where I went more into “research mode” and just explored what’s already out there and what other people have worked on. I wanted to check whether the things I was talking about actually made sense in the first place. And yeah, they kind of did, but I can definitely see that I need to go much deeper into the topic of interaction design for the ageing population. This topic feels like a natural extension of accessibility and it’s especially important to me because I truly believe that access to digital products can help everyone.
This is why I will use these last two blog entries to cover my initial research questions.
How do older adults approach learning?
I asked myself this questions because sometimes I see elderly that
Older adults’ approach to learning is an active process of adaptation and integration, in which new information is filtered through many years of existing knowledge and personal mental models [1]. Their learning approach is often characterised by a preference for environmental support and immediate practical utility, which helps compensate for age-related changes in cognitive processing capacity [1].
Environmental Support refers to the external stimuli, tools or contextual cues that interact with an individual’s internal mental and physical operations to facilitate successful functioning. [2]
Cognitive Strategies and Processing
While for most older adults the desire to learn remains strong, the biological and cognitive mechanisms used to acquire those new skills undergo significant shifts. [1]
- Processing Resources: Learning is often influenced by reductions in processing speed, working memory capacity and attentional focus. Because of that, older learners generally require more time to master new skills compared to younger adults. [1]
- Strategy Selection: Older adults tend to initiate effective learning strategies less spontaneously than younger generations. They often perform a “cost-benefit” analysis, dropping strategies that are perceived as too effortful relative to their perceived efficacy. [1]
- Thoroughness vs. Scanning: When searching for information, seniors often demonstrate greater thoroughness, for instance, examining multiple hyperlinks in detail rather than scanning and clicking only a few. [3]
- Self-Initiated Processing: Deficits in learning are most apparent in tasks requiring effortful “self-initiated” processing, such as the active reorganisation of new material. [1]
Unique Mental Models
Older adults possess distinct mental models that shape how they conceptualise and interact with new information, particularly in technology.
- Linear Logic (Storytelling): Seniors often intuitively adopt a linear, text-based approach to learning, resembling a storytelling session. This frequently clashes with modern digital design, which relies on multi-layered, screen-based logic. [3]
- Focus on Social Norms: Older learners often prioritise social norms and “politeness” within their mental models. For example, in design workshops, some seniors insisted that digital interfaces should “thank” the user, sometimes valuing this politeness over technical accessibility features like font size. [3]
- Contextual Challenges: Learning can be hindered by contextual confusion, where similar-looking elements (such as a search bar and an address field in a browser) are mistaken for one another. [3]
Sources
[1] I. Tournier, ‘Learning and adaptation in older adults: An overview of main methods and theories’, Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, vol. 37, p. 100466, 2022.
[2] F. Craik, ‘Memory Changes in Normal Aging’, Current Directions in Psychological Science – CURR DIRECTIONS PSYCHOL SCI, vol. 3, pp. 155–158, 10 1994.
[3] D. Orzeszek et al., ‘Beyond Participatory Design: Towards a Model for Teaching Seniors Application Design’, arXiv [cs.CY]. 2017.
[4] G. A. Wildenbos, L. Peute, and M. Jaspers, “Aging barriers influencing mobile health usability for older adults: A literature based framework (MOLD-US),” Int. J. Med. Inform., vol. 114, pp. 66–75, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2018.03.012.
