TRAINING OLDER ADULTS TO USE AUTOMATIC TELLER MACHINES

The present study assessed the success of several instructional progra ms in teaching the use of automatic teller machines (ATMs). Fifty-six older adults (aged 61 to 81) participated in the study, randomly assig ned to each of four, 14-member groups. The description group received only a general overview of an ATM; the text guide group received writt en instructions for performing various transactions on an ATM; the pic torial guide group received written instructions accompanied by pictur es of corresponding ATM screens; and the online tutorial group complet ed a step-by-step tutorial on a simulated ATM. Participants practiced on an ATM simulator. They were tested after a 24-h interval on their a bility to perform familiar transactions on an unfamiliar ATM simulator and to perform completely novel transactions. Accuracy was best for t he online tutorial group, intermediate for the text and pictorial guid e groups, and worst for the description group. These data demonstrate both the importance of providing older adults with ATM training and th e fact that the type of training influences the level of performance. The online tutorial, which provided specific practice on the task comp onents, best facilitated acquisition and transfer performance.