Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Nair, S. N.
Right arrow Articles by Sharit, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Nair, S. N.
Right arrow Articles by Sharit, J.
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 62:85-96 (2007)
© 2007 The Gerontological Society of America


RESEARCH ARTICLE

A Multilevel Modeling Approach to Examining Individual Differences in Skill Acquisition for a Computer-Based Task

Sankaran N. Nair, Sara J. Czaja1, and Joseph Sharit

1 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Florida.
2 Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Miami, Florida.

Address correspondence to Sara J. Czaja, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1695 NW 9th Ave., Miami, FL 33136. E-mail: sczaja{at}med.miami.edu

This article explores the role of age, cognitive abilities, prior experience, and knowledge in skill acquisition for a computer-based simulated customer service task. Fifty-two participants aged 50–80 performed the task over 4 consecutive days following training. They also completed a battery that assessed prior computer experience and cognitive abilities. The data indicated that overall quality and efficiency of performance improved with practice. The predictors of initial level of performance and rate of change in performance varied according to the performance parameter assessed. Age and fluid intelligence predicted initial level and rate of improvement in overall quality, whereas crystallized intelligence and age predicted initial e-mail processing time, and crystallized intelligence predicted rate of change in e-mail processing time over days. We discuss the implications of these findings for the design of intervention strategies.







HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals The Gerontologist
Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
Copyright © 2007 by The Gerontological Society of America.