Understanding age differences in PDA acceptance and performance Katrin Arning, Martina Ziefle * Department of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, Jaegerstrasse 17-19, Aachen 52056, Germany Available online 14 August 2006 Abstract The present study addresses two basic determinants of technology utilization: the attitude towards a certain technology and the performance when using it. According to the technology accep- tance model (TAM), perceived ease of use and usefulness are assumed to be strong determinants of the actual and successful utilization of technology. However, the relationship between the acceptance of technical devices and their successful utilization (i.e. performance) is not completely understood. In this study, users’ attitudes towards technology and their performance when interacting with a computer simulated PDA device were examined. Moreover, the moderating role of individual vari- ables like age, gender, subjective technical confidence, and computer expertise in the relationship between technical performance and acceptance was analyzed. The results showed significant associ- ations between performance and TAM factors. However, this interrelation was much stronger for the older group, especially between performance and the ease of use. The factors computer expertise and technical self-confidence played a minor role. Gender effects on technical self-confidence and TAM factors were identified, although they did not affect performance. Future research should focus on training formats for the older age group, which facilitate a successful interaction with technical devices. Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Technology acceptance; Perceived ease of use; Perceived usefulness; Technical performance; Subjec- tive technical confidence; Age; Technology experience; Gender 0747-5632/$ - see front matter Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2006.06.005 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 241 80 3535; fax: +49 241 80 92318. E-mail addresses: Katrin.Arning@psych.rwth-aachen.de (K. Arning), Martina.Ziefle@psych.rwth-aachen.de (M. Ziefle). Computers in Human Behavior 23 (2007) 2904–2927 Computers in Human Behavior www.elsevier.com/locate/comphumbeh