Finding information on the World Wide Web: Exploring older adults' exploration

Our aim was to investigate how older and younger adults find information us ing the World Wide Web (Web) in a naturalistic setting. After brief trainin g in using a Web browser, 29 older (M = 70.6 years) and 30 younger (M = 21. 8 years) adults conducted Web searches to answer two questions. Age was rel ated to search performance on difficult problems; older adults were somewha t less efficient on the first search and were somewhat less likely to find a correct answer on the second. Age differences in computer attitudes were small; the effects of the training and search experience on attitudes were positive, large, and similar for young and old. With brief but well-designe d training, novice older adults were successful in their Web searches and t hey had very positive reactions to the Web experience.