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This study investigated ethnic differences in the United States and Mexico on Perceived Emotional Intelligence (PEI). The investigation explored the hypothesis of ethnic variability in PEI by having African Americans, Latino Americans, Whites and Mexicans complete the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS) on three factors: Attention, Clarity, and Repair of emotions. A total of 519 participants volunteered to complete the TMMS. The results showed that for Attention and Clarity there were significant differences among ethnic groups with Mexicans scoring lower than African Americans, Latino Americans and Whites. However, on Repair, there were no significant differences among ethnic groups. Additionally, results indicated gender differences between women and men on Attention and Clarity. Women scored higher than men on Attention and lower than men on Clarity. These findings suggest that particular ethnic groups can have notable differences in certain domains of PEI. However, researchers should be guarded in assuming that particular ethnic groups can have greater PEI, without first controlling essential socio-demographic variables. The cognitive correlates of affect intensity, together with the relationships between this variable and socio-demographic and outcome variables such as, respectively, age and anxiety remain understudied. This work analyzes age differences in affect intensity and in two types of cognitive coping strategies in threatening situations: vigilance and distraction. Also, the relationship between this two variables and their association with the level of anxiety is explored. Fifty five younger and 51 older subjects (aged 60 and more) participated in the study. The results revealed significant age differences in the assessed variables, as well as differential interrelationships between them in the 2 age groups. Also, affect intensity and cognitive coping appear to be more related to anxiety in the older subjects group. The relevance of age in the analysis of the relationships between psychological construct is highlighted [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]