THIS RESEARCH ADDRESSES THE ROLE THAT PERSONAL COMPUTERS CAN PLAY IN BROADENING THE ELDERLY'S RANGE OF EXPERIENCE WITH ADVANCES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND IN ENHANCING THEIR PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING.

THIS RESEARCH ADDRESSES THE ROLE THAT PERSONAL COMPUTERS CAN PLAY IN BROADENING THE ELDERLY'S RANGE OF EXPERIENCE WITH ADVANCES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND IN ENHANCING THEIR PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT WILL PRODUCE: (1) SPECIFIC, MARKETABLE COMPUTER SOFTWARE TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF THE ELDERLY, (2) A COMBINED PACKAGE OF COMPUTER SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF OLDER ADULTS, (3) ADVANCED UNDERSTANDING OF THE INFLUENCE OF APPROPRIATE COMPUTER APPLICATIONS ON SOCIAL INTERACTION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG THE ELDERLY, AND (4) KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO INTRODUCE COMPUTERS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS TO THE ELDERLY, SO THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED FOR RECREATIONAL, EDUCATIONAL AND HEALTH MAINTENANCE PURPOSES. TO ACCOMPLISH THESE OBJECTIVES, THE RESEARCH WILL EMPLOY AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN USING TWO SENIOR CENTERS AS FIELD LOCATIONS. PERSONAL COMPUTERS WILL BE INTRODUCED AT THE CENTERS, USING BOTH EXISTING GAME SOFTWARE AND EARLY VERSIONS OF NEW SOFTWARE PRODUCED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS PROJECT. THE IMPACT OF COMPUTER USE ON SENIOR CENTER PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ASSESSED IN COMPARISON TO THE EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE INTERVENTIONS. A FINAL SEGMENT OF THE RESEARCH WILL BE A MARKET IDENTIFICATION SURVEY TO IDENTIFY TARGET MARKETS FOR THE PRODUCTS OF THE RESEARCH.