Elders' schema for taking medication: implications for instruction design
Article Abstract:
The elderly may have a different schema for remembering how and when to take medication. If the instructions are structured to match this schema, they may be remembered better, and errors may be prevented and compliance improved. When people are familiar with the general task of taking medicine, they know what type of information to expect and how the directions are organized. Older patients who have suffered declines in their cognitive abilities may benefit if their general knowledge of the task is taken into consideration when organizing the text. Thirty-three elderly volunteers took part in an experiment designed to determine the best model for presenting medication information. Arranging the information in order by purpose, dose and schedule, and emergency information was preferred. Then subjects determined the order in which the information should be presented in each category. In a second experiment, the information was presented to 27 other elderly volunteers. The information was presented for three different medications, one in the preferred style, one in the preferred groups, but with the information reordered, and one with neither the categories nor the order consistent with the preferred model. The experiments confirmed that the elderly organize information for taking medication in a consistent manner, and that instructions matching their schema are preferred and are more likely to be remembered. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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Effects of aging and schedules of knowledge of results on motor learning
Article Abstract:
Young and older subjects were compared on their ability to use extrinsic, verbal information feedback to learn a movement timing task. The young subjects aged 20 to 23 years old benefitted more with knowledge of results and performed more accurately during the acquisition and retention trials than the older subjects. However, no differences were detected between the two age groups with regard to processing of knowledge of results in learning a motor skill. This suggests that the ability to process schedules of knowledge or results and the effects of knowledge of results on motor learning are similar between the two age groups studied.
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1992
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Age differences in letter and color matching: selective attention or internal noise?
Article Abstract:
Young and older subjects were compared through a letter-matching task with varied letter identity and letter color and on a color-matching task which varied in letter color and letter identity to explain age-related concepts of internal noise and selective attention. Results showed that the older subjects had greater levels of internal noise which may affect selective attention.
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1993
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