A factor to be considered with old age is

cognitive aging Aging of the Human brain, brain is a process of transformation of the brain in old age, older age, including changes all individuals experience and those of illness (including unrecognised illness). Usually this refers to humans. Since life extens ...

Information technologies Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data and information processing, and storage. Information technolo ...

need to be centered on factors that define

cognition Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

. This article highlights some of the important

conceptual model The term conceptual model refers to any model that is formed after a wikt:concept#Noun, conceptualization or generalization process. Conceptual models are often abstractions of things in the real world, whether physical or social. Semantics, Semant ...

s and

theories A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

that govern the design of such systems. The main focus is to look at the different information processing

technologies Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

that are presently used for enabling better functional performance. As

baby boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the demographic cohort preceded by the Silent Generation and followed by Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964 during the mid-20th century baby boom that ...

grow older, there exists a growing demand for a good support system that can ease their burdens. Technology is ubiquitous in most social contexts in

industrialized countries A developed country, or advanced country, is a sovereign state that has a high quality of life, developed economy, and advanced technological infrastructure relative to other less industrialized nations. Most commonly, the criteria for eval ...

, and has become an integral component of most activities in everyday life. The advent of technology has shown promising results in various fields such as the delivery of care and in-vehicle driving technology by focusing on the needs of older adults and placing them at the center of this transformation. Such systems would improve and empower not just the elderly but also their families while reducing some of the burden on them and increasing independence. However, there continues to exist a

digital divide The digital divide is the unequal access to information technology, digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide worsens inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information ...

amongst the elderly population that use technology less, causing them to become

disenfranchised Disfranchisement, also disenfranchisement (which has become more common since 1982) or voter disqualification, is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing someo ...

and disadvantaged.

Elderly and technology

Although

older adults Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

are increasingly using technology, they typically have more difficulty than younger adults in learning to use and operate them. The successful adoption and usage of new technology is becoming increasingly important for functional independence in the lives of adults both young and old. Older adults are now more than ever faced with a wide range of new technologies on a daily basis. Thus an important task in the field of

gerontology Gerontology ( ) is the study of the social, culture, cultural, psychology, psychological, cognitive, and biology, biological aspects of aging. The word was coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Ancient Greek, Greek ('), meaning "o ...

is to develop training tools that can aid and improve accessibility for older adults. What makes this complex is the need for age-specific tools that match the cognitive and perceptual capabilities of this age group.

Cognition

Age-related differences in cognitive functioning have been known to stem from the reduction of cognitive resources available, thus impairing older adults’ ability to carry out cognitively demanding tasks. Cognitive aging causes changes in mechanisms related to

information processing In cognitive psychology, information processing is an approach to the goal of understanding human thinking that treats cognition as essentially Computing, computational in nature, with the mind being the ''software'' and the brain being the ''hard ...

and

working memory Working memory is a cognitive system with a limited capacity that can Memory, hold information temporarily. It is important for reasoning and the guidance of decision-making and behavior. Working memory is often used synonymously with short-term m ...

function. According to

cognitive psychologist Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of human mental processes such as attention, language use, memory, perception, problem solving, creativity, and reasoning. Cognitive psychology originated in the 1960s in a break from behaviorism, whi ...

Fergus I. M. Craik, these mechanisms are responsible for age-related speed of decline in performance of

mental processing Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, imag ...

; online cognitive resources available at any given time to process, store, retrieve, and transform information (working memory); focusing on a target; paying attention; and sensory processing of information. The inherent relationship between cognitive abilities and technology adoption points to the importance of ensuring that system interfaces are well designed and easy to use. The use of

information processing theory Information processing theory is the approach to the study of cognitive development evolved out of the American experimental tradition in psychology. Developmental psychologists who adopt the information processing perspective account for menta ...

in cognition looks at the role of the three stages of

memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembe ...

related to retrieving, transferring, and recalling information. Cognitive information processing focuses on different aspects of instruction and how those aspects can either facilitate or hinder learning and memory. It emphasizes using strategies that focus the learner's attention, promotes encoding and retrieval, and provide for meaningful, effective practice across learning environments and curriculum.

Compensatory technologies

Compensatory systems can be used to support cognitive aging and impairment and thereby improve performance. They range from simple home reminder systems to sophisticated robotic support systems. While there are numerous technological interventions at present being developed, there continues to be an increase in the amount of research and work that focuses on providing compensatory support for a number of executive functional impairments for the elderly. Early work on prospective

memory aids Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with ...

and assistive devices investigated the application of commonplace technologies which were inexpensive, easy to use, and invoked no

social stigma Stigma, originally referring to the visible marking of people considered inferior, has evolved to mean a negative perception or sense of disapproval that a society places on a group or individual based on certain characteristics such as their ...

. Due to the inherent limitations of such devices, there was a need to design effective, portable memory aid devices that provide cues and relevant information. Listed below are some of the information technologies that have been developed: The future of information technology lies in creating context-dependent devices that respond to the user's physical and social environment. For example, if the device was aware of the user's location, it could give reminders relevant to that location. Information about the user's environment might also provide clues to the device on what reminders might be important or unnecessary.

Social cues ''Social Cues'' is the fifth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Cage the Elephant. Announced on January 31, 2019, the album was released on April 19, 2019. ''Social Cues'' won the award for Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, Best Rock ...

might allow the device to know when a reminder would be inappropriate, such as when the user is talking with another person and might not want to be interrupted.

Information processing theory

Information processing theory Information processing theory is the approach to the study of cognitive development evolved out of the American experimental tradition in psychology. Developmental psychologists who adopt the information processing perspective account for menta ...

is an approach used to study cognitive development that evolved out of the American experimental tradition in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

Developmental psychologists Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitosis ...

who adopt the information-processing perspective account for mental development in terms of maturational changes in basic components of a child's mind. The theory is based on the idea that humans process the information they receive, rather than merely responding to stimuli. This perspective equates the mind to a computer, which is responsible for analyzing information from the environment. According to the standard information-processing model for mental development, the mind's machinery includes attention mechanisms for bringing information in, working memory for actively manipulating information, and long-term memory for passively holding information so that it can be used in the future. A primary focus of information processing is memory.

Stage theory

The most widely accepted model is called "

stage theory Piaget's theory of cognitive development, or his genetic epistemology, is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence. It was originated by the Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget (1896–1980). The theo ...

" based on the work by Richard Atkinson and

Richard Shiffrin Richard Shiffrin (born March 13, 1942) is an American psychologist, professor of cognitive science in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University, Bloomington. Shiffrin has contributed a number of theories of attenti ...

shown in figure 1. The model focuses on how information is stored in the memory in three stages. In this theory, information is thought to be processed in a serial, discontinuous manner as it moves from one stage to another. File:Multi-store-diagram(psychology).png, Figure1: Stage Theory

Other theories

There are many recent theories concerning information processing that differ from the stage theory model. Research and study continue to modify existing beliefs in cognitive psychology. Despite the fact that there are commonly accepted pieces, the complete picture of how information is processed continues to change.

Levels of processing The Levels of Processing model, created by Fergus I. M. Craik and Robert S. Lockhart in 1972, describes memory recall of stimuli as a function of the depth of mental processing. More analysis produce more elaborate and stronger memory than lowe ...

: One of the first alternatives to the stage theory was developed by Fergus I. M. Craik and Robert S. Lockhart (1972). The levels of processing theory holds that memory is not three-staged, which distinguishes it from the stage theory model.

Dual-coding theory Dual-coding theory is a theory of cognition that suggests that the mind processes information along two different channels; verbal and nonverbal. It was hypothesized by Allan Paivio of the University of Western Ontario in 1971. In developing this ...

: Another theory is

Allan Paivio Allan Urho Paivio (March 29, 1925 – June 19, 2016) was a professor of psychology at the University of Western Ontario and former bodybuilder. He earned his Ph.D. from McGill University in 1959 and taught at the University of Western Ontario fr ...

’s work in dual coding. This theory gives equal significance to both verbal and non-verbal processing and suggests that there are two separate systems for processing these types of information.

Schema theory In psychology and cognitive science, a schema (: schemata or schemas) describes a pattern of thought or behavior that organizes categories of information and the relationships among them. It can also be described as a mental structure of preconc ...

, parallel distributed processing, and

connectionist Connectionism is an approach to the study of human mental processes and cognition that utilizes mathematical models known as connectionist networks or artificial neural networks. Connectionism has had many "waves" since its beginnings. The first ...

models:

David Rumelhart David Everett Rumelhart (June 12, 1942 – March 13, 2011) was an American psychologist who made many contributions to the formal analysis of cognition, human cognition, working primarily within the frameworks of mathematical psychology, symbo ...

(1980), working in conjunction with others, developed the schema theory of information processing and memory. He suggested that a schema is a

data structure In computer science, a data structure is a data organization and storage format that is usually chosen for Efficiency, efficient Data access, access to data. More precisely, a data structure is a collection of data values, the relationships amo ...

for representing generic concepts stored in memory.