Computer Use and the Relation Between Age and Cognitive Functioning

Abstract

This article investigates whether computer use for leisure could mediate or moderate the relations between age and cognitive functioning. Findings supported smaller age differences in measures of cognitive functioning for people who reported spending more hours using a computer. Because of the cross-sectional design of the study, two alternative interpretations of the results are discussed. Regardless of how the findings are interpreted, the major finding supports that using a computer for leisure does not have the same meaning at different ages.