Chronological age vs. cognitive age: an examination of lifecycle and gender differences

Abstract

The current study examines the concept of self-perceived age in the Middle Eastern market through the use of the cognitive age construct. The results of a survey of 613 respondents in the Kuwait market reveal that the five-item cognitive age measure scored 0.949 on Cronbach's coefficient alpha, which is indicative of a reliable variable. The results also indicate that the differences between chronological age and cognitive age vary across lifecycle age groups. Specifically, Kuwaiti consumers overall tend to perceive their cognitive ages to be below their actual chronological ages, and this pattern becomes stronger as consumers get older. The analyses also find that age differences exist by gender. Men under the age of 25 in the Kuwait market perceive themselves to be almost four years older than their actual chronological ages. The study suggests that the cognitive age construct might be a useful segmentation variable in the Middle Eastern market.