Successful Ageing: Personality and new technologies

In 2030 presumably more than 28 million German people will be 60 years and older.
This group of aging people will be growing fastest within the population in general.
Thus, intelligent technologies for continued independence, health, and care will
become increasingly important.
The aim of the Lower Saxony Research Network on the “Design of Environments
for Ageing” (GAL) is to identify, to enhance and to evaluate new techniques of
assisting information and communication technology that promotes and sustains
the quality of life, health and self-sufficiency in the second half of life.
The interdisciplinary research network GAL combines the efforts of researchers
working in geriatrics, gerontology, audiology, computer sciences, engineering
sciences, medicine, medical computer sciences, economy, nursing sciences,
psychology, and rehabilitation educational science.
The contribution of the department of Differential and Personality Psychology at the
University of Potsdam lies in the theoretical conception and empirical foundation of
a personality model of technology usage. Particularly, we develop and validate
instruments that identify interindividual differences in handling technology. This will
provide important information concerning the future target audience to the
geronotology and engineering sciences divisions of the research group,
e.g. by identifying specific user profiles.
We view the usage of technology as a complex trait that consists of at least three
dimensions: acceptance, competence, and control. While acceptance of technology
is understood as a social attitude that reflects openness to new technologies,
competence is seen as an individual performance variable that specifies the ability
to handle technology. Control of technology – as the third component – describes a
motivational disposition concerning the experienced controllability of new technologies.
Hereby, the successful usage of technology is expected to be a function of the
interaction between the three dimensions (acceptance, competence and control)
and the situational demands concerning the design of a person’s second half of life.