RESUMEN
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: New technologies are being implemented in motor vehicles. One key technology is the electronic navigation system (ENS) that assists the driver in wayfinding, or actually guides the vehicle in higher level automation vehicles. It is unclear how older adults interact with ENSs and the best approach to train older adults to use the devices. The objectives of this study were to explore how older drivers interacted with an ENS while driving on live roadways and how various training approaches impacted older drivers' ability to accurately enter destinations into the ENS. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In Experiment 1, 80 older drivers navigated unfamiliar routes using an ENS or paper directions and completed a series of ENS destination entry tasks. In Experiment 2, 60 older drivers completed one of three training conditions (ENS video only, ENS video with hands-on training, placebo) to examine the impacts of training on destination entry performance. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Driving performance was aided by the use of the ENS, but many older drivers had difficulty entering destinations into the device (Experiment 1). The combined video with hands-on ENS training resulted in the best overall destination entry performance (Experiment 2). Practical applications: The results suggest older drivers may experience problems entering destinations into ENSs, but training can improve performance. These performance issues may be especially important as more vehicle features require interaction with computer systems to select destinations or other automation related features. Further research is needed to determine how to prepare the next generation of older drivers who will interact with technologies aimed at increasing mobility.
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Conducción de Automóvil/educación , Sistemas de Información Geográfica , Vehículos a Motor , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , North Carolina , TecnologíaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To determine if there are age-related differences in phishing vulnerability and if those differences exist under various task conditions (e.g., framing and time pressure). BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests that older adults may be a vulnerable population to phishing attacks. Most research exploring age differences has used limiting designs, including retrospective self-report measures and restricted email sets. METHOD: The present studies explored how older and younger adults classify a diverse sample of 100 legitimate and phishing emails. In Experiment 1, participants rated the emails as either spam or not spam. Experiment 2 explored how framing would alter the results when participants rated emails as safe or not safe. In Experiment 3, participants performed the same task as Experiment 1, but were put under time pressure. RESULTS: No age differences were observed in overall classification accuracy across the three experiments, rather all participants exhibited poor performance (20%-30% errors). Older adults took significantly longer to make classifications and were more liberal in classifying emails as spam or not safe. Time pressure seemed to remove this bias but did not influence overall accuracy. CONCLUSION: Older adults appear to be more cautious when classifying emails. However, being extra careful may come at the cost of classification speed and does not seem to improve accuracy. APPLICATION: Age demographics should be considered in the implementation of a cyber-training methodology. Younger adults may be less vigilant against cyber threats than initially predicted; older adults might be less prone to deception when given unlimited time to respond.
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Decepción , Correo Electrónico , Poblaciones Vulnerables , Anciano , Toma de Decisiones , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Autoinforme , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: This pilot study proposed and performs initial testing with Exoscore, a design evaluation tool to assess factors related to acceptance of exoskeleton by older adults, during the technology development and testing phases. BACKGROUND: As longevity increases and our aging population continues to grow, assistive technologies such as exosuits and exoskeletons can provide enhanced quality of life and independence. Exoscore is a design and prototype stage evaluation method to assess factors related to perceptions of the technology, the aim being to optimize technology acceptance. METHOD: In this pilot study, we applied the three-phase Exoscore tool during testing with 11 older adults. The aims were to explore the feasibility and face validity of applying the design evaluation tool during user testing of a prototype soft lower limb exoskeleton. RESULTS: The Exoscore method is presented as part of an iterative design evaluation process. The method was applied during an exoskeleton research and development project. The data revealed the aspects of the concept design that rated favorably with the users and the aspects of the design that required more attention to improve their potential acceptance when deployed as finished products. CONCLUSION: Exoscore was effectively applied to three phases of evaluation during a testing session of a soft exoskeleton. Future exoskeleton development can benefit from the application of this design evaluation tool. APPLICATION: This study reveals how the introduction of Exoscore to exoskeleton development will be advantageous when assessing technology acceptance of exoskeletons by older adults.
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Dispositivo Exoesqueleto , Extremidad Inferior , Trastornos del Movimiento/rehabilitación , Aceptación de la Atención de Salud , Diseño Centrado en el Usuario , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Femenino , Humanos , Extremidad Inferior/fisiopatología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Trastornos del Movimiento/fisiopatología , Proyectos Piloto , Calidad de Vida , Dispositivos Electrónicos VestiblesRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to model the egress of visitors from a Neolithic visitor attraction. BACKGROUND: Tourism attracts increasing numbers of elderly and mobility-impaired visitors to our built-environment heritage sites. Some such sites have very limited and awkward access, were not designed for mass visitation, and may not be modifiable to facilitate disabled access. As a result, emergency evacuation planning must take cognizance of robust information, and in this study we aimed to establish the effect of visitor position on egress. METHOD: Direct observation of three tours at Maeshowe, Orkney, informed typical time of able-bodied individuals and a mobility-impaired person through the 10-m access tunnel. This observation informed the design of egress and evacuation models running on the Unity gaming platform. RESULTS: A slow-moving person at the observed speed typically increased time to safety of 20 people by 170% and reduced the advantage offered by closer tunnel separation by 26%. Using speeds for size-specific characters of 50th, 95th, and 99th percentiles increased time to safety in emergency evacuation by 51% compared with able-bodied individuals. CONCLUSION: Larger individuals may slow egress times of a group; however, a single slow-moving mobility-impaired person exerts a greater influence on group egress, profoundly influencing those behind. APPLICATION: Unidirectional routes in historic buildings and other visitor attractions are vulnerable to slow-moving visitors during egress. The model presented in this study is scalable, is applicable to other buildings, and can be used as part of a risk assessment and emergency evacuation plan in future work.
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Arquitectura , Personas con Discapacidad , Planificación en Desastres , Medición de Riesgo , Conducta Espacial , Adulto , Anciano , HumanosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to test if highlighting and placement of substance name on medication package have the potential to reduce patient errors. BACKGROUND: An unintentional overdose of medication is a large health issue that might be linked to medication package design. In two experiments, placement, background color, and the active ingredient of generic medication packages were manipulated according to best human factors guidelines to reduce causes of labeling-related patient errors. METHOD: In two experiments, we compared the original packaging with packages where we varied placement of the name, dose, and background of the active ingredient. Age-relevant differences and the effect of color on medication recognition error were tested. In Experiment 1, 59 volunteers (30 elderly and 29 young students), participated. In Experiment 2, 25 volunteers participated. RESULTS: The most common error was the inability to identify that two different packages contained the same active ingredient (young, 41%, and elderly, 68%). This kind of error decreased with the redesigned packages (young, 8%, and elderly, 16%). Confusion errors related to color design were reduced by two thirds in the redesigned packages compared with original generic medications. CONCLUSION: Prominent placement of substance name and dose with a band of high-contrast color support recognition of the active substance in medications. APPLICATION: A simple modification including highlighting and placing the name of the active ingredient in the upper right-hand corner of the package helps users realize that two different packages can contain the same active substance, thus reducing the risk of inadvertent medication overdose.
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Percepción de Color/fisiología , Etiquetado de Medicamentos/normas , Embalaje de Medicamentos/normas , Reconocimiento Visual de Modelos/fisiología , Reconocimiento en Psicología/fisiología , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Anciano , Humanos , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Previous research indicates that useful field of view (UFOV) decline affects older driver performance. In particular, elderly drivers have difficulty estimating oncoming vehicle time-to-contact (TTC). The objective of this study was to evaluate how UFOV impairments affect TTC estimates in elderly drivers deciding when to make a left turn across oncoming traffic. TTC estimates were obtained from 64 middle-aged (n=17, age=46±6years) and older (n=37, age=75±6years) licensed drivers with a range of UFOV abilities using interactive scenarios in a fixed-base driving simulator. Each driver was situated in an intersection to turn left across oncoming traffic approaching and disappearing at differing distances (1.5, 3, or 5s) and speeds (45, 55, or 65mph). Drivers judged when each oncoming vehicle would collide with them if they were to turn left. Findings showed that TTC estimates across all drivers, on average, were most accurate for oncoming vehicles travelling at the highest velocities and least accurate for those travelling at the slowest velocities. Drivers with the worst UFOV scores had the least accurate TTC estimates, especially for slower oncoming vehicles. Results suggest age-related UFOV decline impairs older driver judgment of TTC with oncoming vehicles in safety-critical left-turn situations. Our results are compatible with national statistics on older driver crash proclivity at intersections.