Diagnosing homo digitalis: towards a standardized assessment for digital tool competencies.

Autor:	Stoll SEM; Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.; Lurija Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Health Research, Kliniken Schmieder, Allensbach, Germany.; Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria., Bauer I; Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.; Lurija Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Health Research, Kliniken Schmieder, Allensbach, Germany., Hopfer K; Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany., Lamberty J; Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany., Lunz V; Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany., Guzmán Bausch F; Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany., Höflacher C; Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany., Kroliczak G; Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Action and Cognition Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Cognitive Science, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.; Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń Collegium Medicum, Bydgoszcz, Poland., Kalénine S; Sciences Cognitives Et Sciences Affectives, University of Lille, Lille, France., Randerath J; Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.; Lurija Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Health Research, Kliniken Schmieder, Allensbach, Germany.; Outpatient Unit for Research, Teaching, and Practice, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Frontiers in psychology [Front Psychol] 2024 Jan 04; Vol. 14, pp. 1270437. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jan 04 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI:	10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1270437
Abstrakt:	Introduction: In 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. Methods: We 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. Results: The 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. Conclusion: In 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. Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. (Copyright © 2024 Stoll, Bauer, Hopfer, Lamberty, Lunz, Guzmán Bausch, Höflacher, Kroliczak, Kalénine and Randerath.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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