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A Re-Examination of Age and Attitudes toward Computers a Decade Later

This study replicates an analysis by the co-author, Morris, that appeared in a 1988–89 Journal of Educational Technology Systems article. The more recent data were collected in 1999 as part of the annual Middletown Area Survey, conducted by the Department of Sociology at Ball State University. The survey utilized a computer-assisted telephone-interview procedure which randomly selects telephone numbers based on the proportion of blocks and exchanges in service in the sampling area. This article re-examines the earlier findings by comparing older adults' attitudes toward personal computers. The attitudes are measured by the Computer Orientation Scale (COS) which was developed for the 1989 study. Regression analysis was rperformed on four independent variables: age, gender, income, and education. The 1999 data reflected a virtually identical pattern in that the relationship and impact of age and education upon the COS scores remain essentially unchanged. Gender and income show no significant or direct effects.