Tailoring the mode of information presentation: Effects on younger and older adults’ attention and recall of online information

M.H. Nguyen, J.C.M. van Weert, N. Bol, E.F. Loos, K.M.A.J. Tytgat, A.W.H. van de Ven, E.M.A. Smets

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

29 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Previous studies have mainly focused on tailoring message content to match individual characteristics and preferences. Additional strategies, such as tailoring to individual preferences for the mode of information presentation, are proposed to increase message effectiveness. This study investigates the effect of a mode-tailored website compared to four non-tailored websites on younger and older adults’ attention and recall of information, employing a 5 (condition: tailored vs. text, text with illustrations, audiovisual, combination) (age: younger [25 – 45] vs. older [≥ 65] adults) design (N = 559). The mode-tailored condition (relative to non-tailored conditions) improved attention to the website and, consequently, recall in older adults, but not in younger adults. Younger adults recalled more from non-tailored information such as text only or text with illustrations, relative to tailored information.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)102-126
Number of pages25
JournalHuman Communication Research
Volume43
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • mode of presentation
  • tailoring
  • older adults
  • aging
  • attention
  • processing
  • memory
  • information recall
  • multimodal information
  • modality

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