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Age-Related Variations in the Control of Electronic Tools

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Age-Differentiated Work Systems

Abstract

Electronic tools, such as a computer mouse, are highly flexible with respect to the visuo-motor transformations they implement. Different from mechanical tools, they lack mechanical transparency. Several studies noted difficulties of older users with computer-mouse operations, but also with more complex visuo-motor transformations as found in laparoscopic surgery. These difficulties may partly result from generalized slowing, but partly also from reduced learning capabilities. We explored the nature of the latter kind of change in a series of experiments.

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Acknowledgments

The research reported in this chapter has been supported by the DFG, grant He 1187/15. We are grateful to Nathalie Brackmann, Jan Delkus, Alexander Fölling, Eva Hanisch, Sandra Hardmann, Barbara Herbst, Marc Hülsey, Maia Iobidze, Thorsten Klar, Steven Li, Julia Neuhaus, Eckhard Rückemann, Helene Schneider, Jennifer Stube, and Aljessa Tschishova for their support in setting up and running the experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany

    Herbert Heuer & Miya Kato Rand

  2. Justus Liebig University, Gießen, Germany

    Mathias Hegele

Authors
  1. Herbert Heuer
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  2. Mathias Hegele
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  3. Miya Kato Rand
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Correspondence to Herbert Heuer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Inst. of Industrial Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Bergdriesch 27, Aachen, 52062, Germany

    Christopher Marc Schlick

  2. , Institute of Industrial Science, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Straße 40, Kassel, 34132, Germany

    Ekkehart Frieling

  3. , Inst. of Work-, Organisational- and, TU Dresden, Zellescher Weg 17, Dresden, 01062, Germany

    Jürgen Wegge

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Heuer, H., Hegele, M., Rand, M.K. (2013). Age-Related Variations in the Control of Electronic Tools. In: Schlick, C., Frieling, E., Wegge, J. (eds) Age-Differentiated Work Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35057-3_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35057-3_16

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