ABSTRACT
Personal computers are an integral part of the 1990s. They are used for a variety of purposes, from controlling inventories to balancing checkbooks to writing book chapters such as this one. Although recent advances in electronic technology have resulted in the widespread use of computers by children and teenagers in educational and recreational settings and by young and middle-aged adults in business environments, it appears that the information highway has bypassed a majarity of older adults. Results from several surveys reveal that adults over the age of 65 report using electronic devices less often and have less experience with personal computers than younger adults (Brickfield, 1984; Kerschner & Hart, 1984; Rogers, Walker, Gilbert, Fraser, & Fisk 1994; Schwartz, 1988), thus allowing them fewer opportunities than younger individuals to participate in contemporary culture (Furlong, 1989).
