An Analysis of Why People Lose Objects,How they Find them,and Their Attitudes about a Technology Aid

Abstract

The current paper presents findings from a survey examining, in a life span sample of healthy adults, the extent to which losing objects is perceived to be a problem. The goals of the survey were to determine who loses objects, what objects are lost, and what strategies are used to locate objects. The current findings suggest that young and middle-aged adults may consider losing objects to be a problem but older adults may not. Understanding what typical objects are lost, the strategies used to locate these objects, and attitudes toward technology may be applicable to the design of a technology aid for memory augmentation in the home.