Motivated Cognition and Curiosity in the Aging Consumer 1

Abstract

ships with loved ones, and being healthy and active. Older age is often associated with changes in what motivates us, but younger and older adults often have many goals in common. People of all ages set goals, and assessing what factors influence goal pursuit (as well as how those factors may change with age) can lead to interesting insights about how individuals across the lifespan interact with products, learn new things, and make important decisions. Some theories of motivation in older age focus largely on the shift from knowledge acquisition goals in younger adulthood to emotion regulation goals in older adulthood. While the empirical evidence to support this shift is strong, it is also worth examining the situations in which older adults do continue to seek knowledge. Many older consumers are retired but being in this phase of life does not necessarily mean that they stop pursuing goals that promote the acquisition of new information in their daily lives. For example, many older people have hobbies such as birdwatching, in which an expert may acquire knowledge about migration patterns, habitats, and food sources. Many are curious about how memory changes with age, and how they can do their best to stay cognitively healthy. In this chapter, we will discuss what motivates younger and older people to learn new skills and new information through the lens of several theories of cognitive aging. After discussing knowledge, emotion, and control as motivating factors, we will examine the roles of curiosity and interest in motivated cognition—including a suggestion that curiosity may not always benefit older consumers. We will then turn to older adults’ perceptions of risk, gains, and losses, and how those perceptions may affect consumer behavior. Throughout this chapter, we will also consider older adults’ use of and perceptions about so-called “brain training” techniques, examine how age-related changes may affect variety-seeking, and discuss 3