Internet-Savvy Seniors Retain Cognitive Skills

Digital literacy is the ability to engage, plan and execute computer-based actions such as web browsing and exchanging emails.   Andre Junqueira Xavier at the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (Brazil), and colleagues analyzed data collected on 6,442 participants, ages 50 to 89 years, enrolled in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, for 8 years. The data measured delayed recall from a 10-word-list learning task across 5 separate measurement points. Observing that: Internet/E-mail use predicted better performance in delayed recall,” the study authors conclude that: “digital literacy may help reduce cognitive decline among persons aged between 50 and 89 years.”