Abstract
The goal of this study was to develop a scale that measures the impact of technology on older adults’ perception of their autonomy and dignity. The Measure of Autonomy, Dignity, and Technology (MADT) was given to 60 older adults aged 65–90 years. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted and two distinct factors, reflecting dignity and autonomy, emerged. Additionally, to ensure that the developed items measured the intended constructs, the study assessed the convergent and discriminant validity of the MADT by correlating the items with established measures of similar constructs. Significant correlations were found between the construct of autonomy captured by the MADT items and the items in the General Decision-Making Style-Dependent Subscale (GDMSD; Scott & Bruce, 1995). There was no correlation between the construct of dignity in the MADT items and the constructs captured by the GDMSD. This indicates that the GDMS is not capturing the construct of dignity, therefore establishing discriminant validity. Similarly, there were few correlations found between the MADT construct of autonomy and the items in the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIDAS). This indicates that the construct of autonomy is not well captured in the PIDAS. Significant correlations were found between constructs of autonomy and dignity in the MADT and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) Social Influences Subscale (Venkatesh et al., 2003) meaning there was evidence to suggest that the MADT and UTAUT are capturing the same constructs. Ultimately, the results of this study indicate that there are complexities in the interactions between technology and user perception of autonomy and dignity in older adults. Moreover, these results demonstrate the need for a more nuanced measurement tool to capture the aspects of user experience specifically related to the perceptions of autonomy and dignity in the user.