The Different Pieces of Emotional Intelligence

Individual and organizational perspectives

Carolyn MacCannSchool of Psychology, The University of Sydney

@caro_maccann

carolyn.maccann@sydney.edu.auEmail:

16 June 2019

Slides available on Open Science Framework @ https://osf.io/bf37w/

1. What are the parts of EI?

2. How can we measure them?

3. What do they relate to?

4. What processes underlie EI?

Slides available on Open Science Framework @ https://osf.io/bf37w/

PART 1:What are the parts of emotional

intelligence?

EMOTIONAL ABILITIES(1: Ability EI)

• EI is: a set of abilities involved in processing and manipulating emotional information

SELF-BELIEFS(2: Self-rated EI)

• EI is: self-perceptions of emotional abilities– NB: Many tests do

not include understanding

HABITS/TENDENCIES(3: Mixed EI)

• EI is: a mix of character traits, perceived abilities, motivational variables

I find it hard to understand the non-verbal messages of other people1. Strongly disagree2. Disagree3. Neither agree nor disagree4. Agree5. Strongly Agree

~ Schutte scale, Wong/Law Scale

These are 3 different things: r = .12 (1,2), .26 (1,3), .59 (2,3)

Abilities + other characteristics- positive mood- adaptability- self-esteem- assertiveness- impulsiveness

Very broad – relate to the ‘g factor’ of personality (r = .86)

~ TEIQue~ Bar-On EQ-i~ Genos EI

Three Streams of Emotional Intelligence (Ashkanasy & Daus, 2005)

~ MSCEIT

Tripartite Model of EI

Emotionally Intelligent Behaviour

Trait

Know-ledge

AbilityDo I knowwhat to do?

Can I do it?

Do I typically do it?

M. Mikolajczak et al. (2009). International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology

Perceive emotions

Use emotions

Understand emotions

Regulate emotions

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ABILITIES

Express emotions

Emotion attention regulation

Emotional creativity

Emotional speededness

Elfenbein & MacCann (2017). Social and Personality Psychology Compass

Regulate own emotions

Regulate others’ emotions

Mayer, Caruso, Salovey (1999). Intelligence

MSCEIT (M

HS)

Four (or more) Branches of Ability EI(used for Ability EI, Self-Perceptions)

Schutte ScaleW

ong-Law scale

PART 2:How can we measure different EI

abilities?

MSCEIT (Mayer Salovey, Caruso EI Test) = Only commercially available ability EI test

Perceive Emotions

How much emotion?Disgust 1 2 3 4 5Distress 1 2 3 4 5Joy 1 2 3 4 5

Which emotion?1. Disgust 2. Distress 3. Joy

MSCEIT JACBART, DANVAReading the Mind in the Eyes

How much AND which?

GERT, MERT (Swiss Center for Affective Sciences)https://www.unige.ch/cisa/

• Accuracy very high• Lower with limited channels/time• Real life: phone/messages, email, Skype,

+ micro-expressions• Over-sensitive perceptions not always

optimal

Includes:• Perceive emotions in other people through

their vocal cues, facial expressions, language, and behaviour

• Perceive emotional content in the environment

Mayer, Salovey, Caruso (2016), Emotion Review, p.294

Understand Emotions

Includes:• Label emotions, recognize relations among them• Determine antecedents, meanings, and consequences of emotions• Appraise situations likely to elicit emotions• Understand complex and mixed emotions• Recognize likely transitions among emotionsMayer, Salovey, Caruso (2016), Emotion Review, p.294

Assessing emotional understanding: Issue of objectivity in scoring

Situational Test of Emotion Understanding (STEU)• Theoretical basis for item

development + scoring = Roseman's (2001) appraisal theory– Tells us the correct answer according to

this body of evidence• 42 multiple choice items• Short-form of 19 items

An unwanted situation becomes less likely or stops altogether. The person involved is most likely to feel? (a) Regret(b) Hope(c) Joy(d) Sadness(e) Relief

Test items and scoring available @https://osf.io/mqp2x/

MacCann & Roberts (2008). Emotion.Allen et al. (2014). Personality and Individual Differences

Manage Emotions

Includes:• Effectively manage one’s own emotions to achieve a desired

outcome• Effectively manage others’ emotions to achieve a desired outcome• Evaluate strategies to maintain, reduce, or intensify an emotional

responseMayer, Salovey, Caruso (2016), Emotion Review, p.294

Situational Test of Emotion Management (STEM): Situational Judgment Test (SJT) developed in 3 steps:1. Situations generated: Semi-structured interviews to

elicit everyday emotional events (N = 51, ½ students)

2. Responses generated: Free response “best” and worst” answers to 138 situations (n = 30 for 3 x 46 items each)

3. Scoring key generated: 12 experts (1 excluded) answer items – score = proportion of experts rating that option– 44 items (multiple-choice OR ratings)– 18 item short form

Clayton has been overseas for a long time and returns to visit his family. So much has changed that Clayton feels left out. What action would be the most effective for Clayton?

(a) Nothing – it will sort itself out soon enough.

(b) Tell his family he feels left out.

(c) Spend time listening and getting involved again.

(d) Reflect that relationships can change over time.

MacCann & Roberts (2008). Emotion.Allen et al. (2015). Personality and Individual Differences

Test items and scoring available @https://osf.io/mqp2x/

Validity Evidence: STEU, STEM

Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability

• STEU: .71 [19-item .63]• STEM: .68 [18-item .84]

Correlations with MSCEIT

MacCann & Roberts (2008). Emotion. Burrus et al. (2012). Applied Psychology: Health and Well-being. Allen et al. (2015). Personality and Individual DifferencesMacCann et al. (2016). Cognition and Emotion. (MSCEIT data not yet published)

Correlations with criteria

STEU STEMAnxiety -.15 -.17*Depression -.27** -.25**Stress -.26** -.17*PWB na .54**

• Emotional creativity tasks:– Emotional consequences: What would happen if

people fell in love every day?– Emotional triads: In what situations would you

experience 3 specific emotions?• These relate to understanding emotions• Can we measure other branches?

– MANAGEMENT

Emotional Creativity

ZoranaIvcevic

Ivcevic, Brackett, Mayer (2007)Journal of Personality.

EI + EC not related: r = -.22, -.12, .03, .08, .16, .16 (median = .05)

Emotional Creativity

#2

• List all the possible strategies you could use to make yourself feel better. • Think of as many strategies as you can. • Try to imagine strategies that would be helpful for you, but that other

people might not think of.

You apply for a graduate job in a company you really want to work for. The job application and interview process was long and involved but you have done your very best and think you have a really good chance. You get a letter in the mail telling you that you have not got the job.

• Scored for: – Fluency– Creativity– Flexibility (# different

families of emotion regulation)

– Effectiveness

EI SWL PWB PA NAFluency 0.32 0.14 0.20 0.19 -0.06Creativity 0.27 0.14 0.27 0.23 0.01Flexibility 0.30 0.06 0.23 0.28 0.01Effectiveness 0.28 0.03 0.24 0.13 -0.24Fluency/creativity 0.28 0.15 0.23 0.16 -0.01

PART 3:What do they relate to?

(summary of meta-analyses)

ns

k = 20 , 4 k = 105 , 8k = 46 , 9

Lifespan differences:EI correlations with age

• Meta-analysis (Khan, Minbashian, MacCann [submitted] Emotion)

MahreenKhan, UNSW

Differences in Predicting Outcomes

O'Boyle et al., 2011 (Journal of Organizational Behavior) ; Miao et al., 2017 (Personality and Individual Differences); Sanchez-Alvaraz et al., 2016 (Journal of Positive Psychology); Martins et al., 2010 (Personality and Individual Differences)

small moderate large

Poropat, A. E. (2009). Psychological Bulletin.

• The role of intelligence is surprisingly small!– BUT larger estimates in pre-university populations (e.g.,

Roth et al., 2015, ρ = .54, k = 240)

MacCann et al. (submitted). Psychological Bulletin

Academic achievement: How does EI compare to other qualities?

6% ρ = .25, k = 47

5% ρ = .22, k = 138

1% ρ = .12, k = 113

<1% ρ = .07, k = 113

<1% ρ = .07, k = 109<1% ρ = .02, k = 114

12% ρ = .35, k = 857% ρ = .26, k = 67

6% ρ = .24, k = 383

1% ρ = .12, k = 159

4% ρ = .19, k = 7003% ρ = .18, k = 53

1% ρ = .09, k = 68

Positive Emotion (lower) Negative Emotion

Ability EI and Emotions

ns ns

k = 11, N = 3,043MacCann et al. (submitted). European Journal of Psychological Assessment

PART 4:What processes might underlie EI?

Emotions under the microscope: Ability EI and emotion processes #1

High differentiation

LowDifferentiation

Over the last week, how much have you felt? Anxious… Annoyed… etc

M = 5.4, SD = 0.25 M = 5.4, SD = 2.25

PA NA PA NAEI 0.26 -0.21 -0.21 0.12Perceive 0.17 -0.12 -0.14 0.10Use 0.28 -0.15 -0.20 0.03Understand -0.04 -0.32 -0.08 0.19Manage 0.39 -0.06 -0.24 0.05

Variability Differentiation N = 154 undergraduates, 24 experience sampling “beeps” over a week:9 emotions (3 positive, 6 negative)

MacCann et al. (submitted). European Journal of Psych Assessment.

Emotions under the microscope: Ability EI and emotion processes #1

control

Avoid

Task-focus

Reappraisal

Negative EmotionPositive

Emotion

EI

R2 =.46

R2 =.38

R2 =.42

R2 =.12

R2 =.29

212 Australian workers • MSCEIT• 40 mini-surveys (4/day M-F for 2 weeks; average

answered = 25)• Task: Controllable? Coping? Emotions?

control

Avoid

Task-focus

Reappraisal

Negative EmotionPositive

Emotion

EI

+

+

-

control

Avoid

Task-focus

Reappraisal

Negative EmotionPositive

Emotion

EI- +

control

Avoid

Task-focus

Reappraisal

Negative EmotionPositive

Emotion

EI

+

+

+

control

Avoid

Task-focus

Reappraisal

Negative EmotionPositive

Emotion

EI

+ -

+

Summary• Different streams and branches matter for different

things– Mixed EI stream for job performance / workplace– Ability EI stream for school performance– Understanding most important for school performance– Management for emotions

• EI relates to the emotions people feel (more positive and less negative emotions) but also the way that they feel them– LESS dramatic changes in negative emotions, MORE

dramatic changes in positive emotions– High EI = greater appraised control more effective

regulatory responses more positive and less negative emotions

Thank you

Collaborators and RAs(alphabetical)

Noah BeamLuke BrownMicaela BucichEgon DejonckheereKit DoubleHillary ElfenbeinYasemin ErbasCaroline FieldenPeter KuppensKirril FaynYixin JiangJosephine JohnsonMahreen KahnAmirali MinbashianRichard D. Roberts

C. MacCann, A. Minbashian, & R. D. Roberts. (2015-2017). Developing a process model of emotion management using experience sampling. ARC Discovery Grant