Cognition, Age, and Web Browsing

The literature on Web browsing indicates that older adults exhibit a number of deficiencies when compared with younger users. But have we, perhaps, been looking at the question in the wrong way when considering technology skills of older users? What are the strengths of older users that can be leveraged to support technology use? This paper considers cognitive aging with respect to distinctions in abilities that decline, and those that do not, with age. A look at specific abilities and their interactions may serve to help designers create software that meets the needs of older users.

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