Abstracts - Spring 2007

THEORETICAL AND RESEARCH ARTICLES

4 The Unintended Negative Consequences of Exposure to Violent Video Games

Edward. L. Swing, M.S., & Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D.

15 Perfecting the Handheld Computer for Older Adults: From Cognitive Theory to Practical Application

Christopher Mayhorn, Ph.D., Anthony Sterns, Ph.D.

22 External Support for Pilot Communication: Implications for Age-related Design

Daniel Morrow, Ph.D., & Angela Schriver, B.A.

32 Information Organization and Retrieval: A Comparison of Taxonomical and Tagging Systems

Richard Pak, Ph.D., Steven Pautz, B.S., & Rebecca Iden, B.S.

46 Harnessing Technology to Enhance Health Literacy in Aging

Katharina Echt, Ph.D.

The Unintended Negative Consequences of Exposure to Violent Video Games

Edward L. Swing, M.S., Craig A. Anderson , Ph.D. Iowa State University

Computer technology has revolutionized a wide variety of tasks – from communication and scientific calculations to entertainment and education. However, any new tool or technology may be misused or may create unintended negative consequences. In the case of video games, technology has seen considerable success in entertaining users and teaching specific content. However, what they teach depends upon their content, regardless of the intent of the game creators or the end users. In the case of violent video games, research has demonstrated conclusively that these games can have deleterious effects on the user. Regardless of the research design (e.g., cross-sectional or experimental) and outcome measures used (e.g., anger, aggressive thoughts, or aggressive behavior), research consistently shows that violent video games can increase aggression. Children and young adults, males and females, high aggressive and low aggression people are all susceptible to increases in aggression, after even short exposures to violent video games.

Key Terms: violence, video games, aggression, consequence

APA Formatted Citation

Swing, E., & Anderson, C. (2007). The unintended negative consequences of exposure to violent video games. Cognitive Technology, 12(1), 4-14.

Perfecting the Handheld Computer for Older Adults: From Cognitive Theory to Practical Application

Christopher Mayhorn, Ph.D. ,North Carolina State University, Anthony Sterns, Ph.D., Creative Action LLC, University of Maryland

The older population in the United States is increasing and the average American is getting older. These demographic changes pose a significant challenge for those interested in designing and developing technologies because the special needs of this particular group of technology users will have to be considered more fully. To illustrate how knowledge of cognition and aging can be applied through the technology design process, the purpose of this article was to describe the methodological process associated with one case study: developing personal digital assistants (PDAs) to provide cognitive support for older adults during medication adherence tasks. Findings from two separate previously published empirical studies (Mayhorn, Lanzolla, Wogalter, & Watson, 2005; Sterns, 2005) were reviewed to document how the implementation of technological interventions that are based on cognitive theory can be used in practice to improve medication adherence in older adults. Implications for training, technology design, and future directions for research were discussed .

Key terms: Older Adults, Hand held computer, PDAs, Design, Interface, Cognitive

APA Formatted Citation

Mayhorn, C., & Sterns, A. (2006). Perfecting the Handheld Computer for Older Adults: From Cognitive Theory to Practical Application. Cognitive Technology, 12(1), 15-21

External Support for Pilot Communication: Implications for Age-related Design

Daniel G. Morrow, Ph.D., Institute of Aviation ,The Beckman Institute of Advanced Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Angela Schriver, B.S., Institute of AviationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Complex tasks such as piloting are vulnerable to error in part because they tax operators’ limited cognitive resources (e.g., working memory). This may be true especially for pilots experiencing long-term (e.g., due to aging) or short-term (e.g., due to fatigue) declines in these resources. On the other hand, expert performance is often robust in the face of these demands, in part because experts are adept in offloading mental workload to the environment. Experts who experience age-related cognitive declines may benefit from this environmental support. In the present paper, we review work from our lab investigating age-related effects of external aids on pilot performance. We combine cognitive aging and human factors theories to identify characteristics of external supports that should benefit older pilots, and then describe our research on external supports for pilot communication. We also consider the potential of new technology for improving pilots’ ability to make decisions and to manage multiple tasks.

Key Terms: pilots, decision making, cognitive decline, external aids, age effects

APA Formatted Citation

Morrow, D., & Schriver, A. (2007). External support for pilot communication: implications for age-related design. Cognitive Technology, 12(1), 22-31.

Experimental Information organization and retrieval: A comparison of taxonomical and tagging systems

Richard Pak, Ph.D., Steven Pautz, B.S., Department of Psychology, Clemson University, Rebecca Iden, B.S., Department of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University

The purpose of the following two studies was to examine performance and subjective workload differences between two types of information organization systems. Organizing information by using hierarchical categories or by labeling (i.e., tagging) each has their benefits and drawbacks. However, no empirical work has examined the performance advantages of one system over the other. In Experiment 1, taxonomies and tagging were compared in terms of how they affected performance and workload at the information organization stage. The results showed that users encountered greater frustration when organizing information in the tagging system. However, they also organized information more quickly in the tagging system compared to the taxonomic system. Experiment 2 examined performance and workload at the information organizational and retrieval stage using a computerized interface. The results showed that taxonomic systems resulted in faster times to organize information, but also resulted in more mouse clicks at retrieval. Overall, the results show that each information organization scheme may lead to different performance outcomes.

Key Terms: workload, organization, taxonomic systems, frustration.

APA Formatted Citation

Pak, R. & Pautz, S. (2006). Experimental information organization and retrieval: A comparison of taxonomical and tagging systems. Cognitive Technology, 12(1), 32-45.

Harnessing Technology to Enhance Health Literacy in Aging

Katharina V. Echt, Ph.D., Atlanta VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Center,

Emory University , School of Medicine , Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology

The prevalence of low health literacy is greater among older adults and is associated with poor health outcomes. Cognitive technologies represent an under-exploited potential for addressing low health literacy disparities in aging. This review provides a description of the technology interventions employed in research with low health literate persons, describes findings from relevant formative research, reviews technology innovations in health communication that hold potential for addressing low health literacy in aging and presents a working research agenda for investigators in cognition and in technology with the goal of presenting challenges and opportunities for developers and researchers . A new conceptualization of health literacy is timely to facilitate systematic investigations of technology applications for supporting, retraining, or compensating for losses in health literacy in aging .

Key Terms: Health Literacy, Technology, Aging, Health, Internet .

APA Formatted Citation

Echt, K. (2007). Harnessing technology to enhance health literacy in aging. Cognitive Technology, 12(1), 46-58.