2020/10/26 by Zhaopeng Xing, Xiaojun Yuan, Xing, Zhaopeng +3
Computer Science · Health Professions · Social Sciences · #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Health Literacy and Information Accessibility #Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC) #Information Retrieval (cs.IR) #Innovative Human-Technology Interaction #Technology Use by Older Adults
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2010.13352
openalex publication_date 2020/10/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Older adults' need for quality health information has never been more critical as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, they are susceptible to the wide-spread misinformation disseminated through search engines and social media. To build a search-related behavioral profile of older adults, this article surveys the empirical research on age-related differences in query formulation, search strategies, information evaluation, and susceptibility to misinformation effects. It also decomposes the mechanisms (i.e., cognitive changes, development goal shift) and moderators (i.e., search task and interface design) of such differences. To inform the design of information systems to improve older adults' information search experience, we discuss opportunities for future research.