Reading and reading comprehension of adults and older adults in digital media
a systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15448/2357-9641.2025.1.46868Keywords:
Cognitive Aging, Comprehension, Digital TechnologyAbstract
Introduction: The aging of the Brazilian and global population raises concerns regarding the pursuit of quality of life through the maintenance and improvement of cognition in adults and older adults. Reading, increasingly prevalent in the digital context, can be a form of linguistic-cognitive stimulation.
Objective: To present a systematic review that sought to verify the characteristics of reading and reading comprehension in digital media among adults and older adults without neurological impairment, considering a psycholinguistic view of reading.
Methods: The methodology suggested by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standard was used. Searches were conducted in the PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, and PsycINFO databases, whose results were filtered and analyzed.
Results: The data showed that, for investigations of digital reading among adults and the elderly, expository and narrative texts predominate, with a length of 1000-3500 words, and multiple-choice activities. The results also highlighted a scarcity of studies investigating digital reading among the elderly population, as well as investigations of digital reading among the elderly when related to cognitive constructs, such as executive functions and different types of memory.
Conclusion: More studies are needed on reading comprehension in digital media with elderly people, in addition to a greater association with cognitive constructs – essential for a more in-depth understanding.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dhaiele Santana Schmidt, Lilian Cristine Hübner
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