Diagnosing homo digitalis: towards a standardized assessment for digital tool competencies
IntroductionIn the 21st century, digital devices have become integral to our daily lives. Still, practical assessments designed to evaluate an individual’s digital tool competencies are absent. The present study introduces the “Digital Tools Test” (“DIGI”), specifically designed for the evaluation o...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1270437/full |
| _version_ | 1797366531067215872 |
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| author | Sarah E. M. Stoll Sarah E. M. Stoll Sarah E. M. Stoll Isabel Bauer Isabel Bauer Karen Hopfer Judith Lamberty Verena Lunz Francesca Guzmán Bausch Cosima Höflacher Gregory Kroliczak Gregory Kroliczak Solène Kalénine Jennifer Randerath Jennifer Randerath Jennifer Randerath |
| author_facet | Sarah E. M. Stoll Sarah E. M. Stoll Sarah E. M. Stoll Isabel Bauer Isabel Bauer Karen Hopfer Judith Lamberty Verena Lunz Francesca Guzmán Bausch Cosima Höflacher Gregory Kroliczak Gregory Kroliczak Solène Kalénine Jennifer Randerath Jennifer Randerath Jennifer Randerath |
| author_sort | Sarah E. M. Stoll |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionIn the 21st century, digital devices have become integral to our daily lives. Still, practical assessments designed to evaluate an individual’s digital tool competencies are absent. The present study introduces the “Digital Tools Test” (“DIGI”), specifically designed for the evaluation of one’s proficiency in handling common applications and functions of smartphones and tablets. The DIGI assessment has been primarily tailored for prospective use among older adults and neurological patients with the latter frequently suffering from so-called apraxia, which potentially also affects the handling of digital tools. Similar to traditional tool use tests that assess tool-selection and tool-action processes, the DIGI assessment evaluates an individual’s ability to select an appropriate application for a given task (e.g., creating a new contact), their capacity to navigate within the chosen application and their competence in executing precise and accurate movements, such as swiping.MethodsWe tested the implementation of the DIGI in a group of 16 healthy adults aged 18 to 28 years and 16 healthy adults aged 60 to 74 years. All participants were able to withstand the assessment and reported good acceptance.ResultsThe results revealed a significant performance disparity, with older adults displaying notably lower proficiency in the DIGI. The DIGI performance of older adults exhibited a correlation with their ability to employ a set of novel mechanical tools, but not with their ability to handle a set of familiar common tools. There was no such correlation for the younger group.ConclusionIn conclusion, this study introduces an innovative assessment tool aimed at evaluating common digital tool competencies. Our preliminary results demonstrate good acceptance and reveal expected group differences. For current cohorts of older adults, the results seem to indicate that the ability to use novel tools may aid digital tool use. In the next step, the psychometric properties of the DIGI assessment should be evaluated in larger and more diverse samples. The advancement of digital tool competency assessments and rehabilitation strategies is essential when we aim at facilitating societal inclusion and participation for individuals in affected populations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T17:06:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f6484685239c47fb935b57bb7811ca30 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T17:06:26Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f6484685239c47fb935b57bb7811ca302024-01-04T05:06:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-01-011410.3389/fpsyg.2023.12704371270437Diagnosing homo digitalis: towards a standardized assessment for digital tool competenciesSarah E. M. Stoll0Sarah E. M. Stoll1Sarah E. M. Stoll2Isabel Bauer3Isabel Bauer4Karen Hopfer5Judith Lamberty6Verena Lunz7Francesca Guzmán Bausch8Cosima Höflacher9Gregory Kroliczak10Gregory Kroliczak11Solène Kalénine12Jennifer Randerath13Jennifer Randerath14Jennifer Randerath15Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, GermanyLurija Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Health Research, Kliniken Schmieder, Allensbach, GermanyDepartment of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, GermanyLurija Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Health Research, Kliniken Schmieder, Allensbach, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, GermanyCognitive Neuroscience Center, Action and Cognition Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Cognitive Science, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, PolandDepartment of Clinical Neuropsychology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń Collegium Medicum, Bydgoszcz, PolandSciences Cognitives Et Sciences Affectives, University of Lille, Lille, FranceDepartment of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, GermanyLurija Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Health Research, Kliniken Schmieder, Allensbach, GermanyOutpatient Unit for Research, Teaching, and Practice, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaIntroductionIn the 21st century, digital devices have become integral to our daily lives. Still, practical assessments designed to evaluate an individual’s digital tool competencies are absent. The present study introduces the “Digital Tools Test” (“DIGI”), specifically designed for the evaluation of one’s proficiency in handling common applications and functions of smartphones and tablets. The DIGI assessment has been primarily tailored for prospective use among older adults and neurological patients with the latter frequently suffering from so-called apraxia, which potentially also affects the handling of digital tools. Similar to traditional tool use tests that assess tool-selection and tool-action processes, the DIGI assessment evaluates an individual’s ability to select an appropriate application for a given task (e.g., creating a new contact), their capacity to navigate within the chosen application and their competence in executing precise and accurate movements, such as swiping.MethodsWe tested the implementation of the DIGI in a group of 16 healthy adults aged 18 to 28 years and 16 healthy adults aged 60 to 74 years. All participants were able to withstand the assessment and reported good acceptance.ResultsThe results revealed a significant performance disparity, with older adults displaying notably lower proficiency in the DIGI. The DIGI performance of older adults exhibited a correlation with their ability to employ a set of novel mechanical tools, but not with their ability to handle a set of familiar common tools. There was no such correlation for the younger group.ConclusionIn conclusion, this study introduces an innovative assessment tool aimed at evaluating common digital tool competencies. Our preliminary results demonstrate good acceptance and reveal expected group differences. For current cohorts of older adults, the results seem to indicate that the ability to use novel tools may aid digital tool use. In the next step, the psychometric properties of the DIGI assessment should be evaluated in larger and more diverse samples. The advancement of digital tool competency assessments and rehabilitation strategies is essential when we aim at facilitating societal inclusion and participation for individuals in affected populations.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1270437/fulldigital toolsagingdigital competenciesassessmentneurorehabilitationinclusion |
| spellingShingle | Sarah E. M. Stoll Sarah E. M. Stoll Sarah E. M. Stoll Isabel Bauer Isabel Bauer Karen Hopfer Judith Lamberty Verena Lunz Francesca Guzmán Bausch Cosima Höflacher Gregory Kroliczak Gregory Kroliczak Solène Kalénine Jennifer Randerath Jennifer Randerath Jennifer Randerath Diagnosing homo digitalis: towards a standardized assessment for digital tool competencies Frontiers in Psychology digital tools aging digital competencies assessment neurorehabilitation inclusion |
| title | Diagnosing homo digitalis: towards a standardized assessment for digital tool competencies |
| title_full | Diagnosing homo digitalis: towards a standardized assessment for digital tool competencies |
| title_fullStr | Diagnosing homo digitalis: towards a standardized assessment for digital tool competencies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diagnosing homo digitalis: towards a standardized assessment for digital tool competencies |
| title_short | Diagnosing homo digitalis: towards a standardized assessment for digital tool competencies |
| title_sort | diagnosing homo digitalis towards a standardized assessment for digital tool competencies |
| topic | digital tools aging digital competencies assessment neurorehabilitation inclusion |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1270437/full |
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