Technology makes older adults feel older

Avner Caspi, Merav Daniel, Gitit Kavé

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The current study aims to examine the effect of technology use on the assessment of subjective age across the adult lifespan, with the assumption that using technology might make older people feel older. One-hundred and fifty-one participants (ages 18–83) assessed their subjective age before and after using familiar and unfamiliar applications on a touchscreen tablet. Subjective age was assessed either by line marking or by numerical response. The oldest participants felt older after the manipulation relative to their pre-manipulation baseline, unlike the youngest participants in the sample. This effect was stronger for the unfamiliar application than for the familiar application. We suggest that using technology evokes stereotype threat. Although this threat does not impair performance, it still changes self perception. These findings could have far-reaching implications for the well-being of older adults in an ever more technological world.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1025-1030
Number of pages6
JournalAging and Mental Health
Volume23
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 3 Aug 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • Attitudes
  • mobile Application
  • self-evaluation
  • stereotype Threat
  • subjective Age

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