SCC-IRG Track 2: Smart Social Connector: An Interdisciplinary, Collaborative Approach to Foster Social Connectedness in Underserved Senior Populations

SCC-IRG 第 2 轨道：智能社交连接器：一种跨学科的协作方法，以促进服务不足的老年人群的社会联系

• 批准号: 1952243
• 负责人: Natalia Villanueva Rosales
• 金额: $ 149.91万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at El Paso
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-10-01 至 2024-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1952243&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SCC; IRG; Track; Smart; Social

Seniors (i.e., adults aged 65+) are the most rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population and have an increased risk of social isolation due to changes in lifestyle and physical health. Social connectedness, which involves establishing, sustaining, and increasing the quality of social relationships, is key to preventing or mitigating social isolation. Technology can foster social connectedness through online services and mobile applications. However, several factors, including lack of technological skills and awareness, accessibility issues, and privacy concerns may limit seniors’ use of technology-enabled services and resources, creating a generational digital divide that may contribute to social isolation. The Smart Social Connector (SSC) project addresses social isolation due to age-related barriers by creating informed strategies for seniors to learn and adopt technology and aligning resources with community needs. As such, this project promotes meaningful social connectedness among seniors that creates a sense of belonging within their community, advancing their health and welfare. Specifically, the SSC project provides a foundation for reconnecting senior residents in El Paso, Texas, a majority-Hispanic bicultural community with a growing senior demographic. This interdisciplinary, collaborative project has the potential to shift attitudes and behaviors toward seniors by restoring their visibility, value, and equitable participation in their community. With the involvement of students who are primarily from underrepresented groups, the SCC project contributes to broadening participation and preparing the next generation of professionals who possess the technical skills and knowledge required to address societal problems, specifically those relevant to senior populations.In a strategic partnership among The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso Community College, and the City of El Paso, the project is driven by integrative and interdisciplinary research among social sciences (i.e., anthropology and cognitive psychology); computer science; engineering (i.e., systems engineering and civil engineering); and scholarship of engagement (i.e., awareness and education). The SSC goal is to develop and sustain social connectedness of seniors to improve their quality of life through the intersection of technology, community engagement, and social sciences. In collaboration with community stakeholders, this community-based participatory research project has two main objectives: (i) advance knowledge on the systemic and behavioral factors that increase social connectedness and bridge the generational digital divide in seniors; and (ii) increase social and technological connectedness for seniors through Smart City solutions. The research team will utilize a variety of methods and instruments, including assessments of computer self-efficacy and cognitive ability, team-performance measurements, virtual/physical social-network analysis, and user-centered iterative design and testing of Smart City solutions. The SSC will involve the creation of a human and technological infrastructure, including a Living Lab environment, to support service delivery and the iterative development and piloting of Smart City solutions that integrate people, technology, and information. The SSC project will support seniors in strengthening their social connectedness, increasing their technology self-efficacy, and contributing to their community. The outcomes and lessons learned from the SCC project have the potential to be applied in other cities that need to address the generational digital divide to improve seniors’ quality of life.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

老年人（即65岁以上的成年人）是美国人口中最快增长的部分，由于生活方式和身体健康的变化，社会隔离的风险增加了。社会联系涉及建立，维持和提高社会关系的质量，是防止或减轻社会隔离的关键。技术可以通过在线服务和移动应用程序来促进社交联系。但是，几个因素，包括缺乏技术技能和意识，可访问性问题以及隐私问题可能会限制老年人对技术支持的服务和资源的使用，从而造成可能有助于社会隔离的世代数字鸿沟。智能社交连接器（SSC）项目通过为老年人创建知情的策略来学习和采用技术并使资源与社区需求保持一致，从而解决了与年龄相关的障碍所致的社会隔离。因此，该项目促进了老年人之间有意义的社会联系，从而在其社区中产生了一种归属感，从而促进了他们的健康和福利。具体而言，SSC项目为在得克萨斯州埃尔帕索（El Paso）重新连接高级居民是一个基础，这是一个西班牙裔双文化社区，其高级人群不断增长。这个跨学科的协作项目有可能通过恢复对年长者的知名度，价值和公平参与其社区的方式将与会者和行为转移到老年人。随着主要来自代表性不足小组的学生的参与，SCC项目有助于扩大参与并准备下一代专业人士，这些专业人员拥有所需的技术技能和知识来解决社会问题，特别是与高级人群相关的问题。 （即人类学和认知心理学）；计算机科学;工程（即系统工程和土木工程）；和参与科学（即意识和教育）。 SSC的目标是通过技术，社区参与和社会科学的交汇处发展和维持老年人的社会联系，以改善他们的生活质量。与社区利益相关者合作，该基于社区的参与研究项目有两个主要目标：（i）提高有关增加社会联系的系统性和行为因素的知识，这些因素增加了社会联系，并弥合了老年人的世代数字鸿沟； （ii）通过智能城市解决方案提高老年人的社会和技术联系。研究团队将利用各种方法和工具，包括评估计算机自我有效和认知能力，团队表现测量，虚拟/物理社交网络分析以及以用户为中心的迭代设计以及智能城市解决方案的测试。 SSC将涉及建立人类和技术基础设施，包括生活实验室环境，以支持服务提供以及迭代性的开发和智能城市解决方案，以整合人员，技术和信息。 SSC项目将支持老年人加强社会联系，提高其技术自我效能并为社区做出贡献。从SCC项目中学到的结果和经验教训有可能在其他城市中应用，这些城市需要解决世代数字鸿沟以改善老年人的生活质量。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准来评估通过评估而被认为是珍贵的。