Are Emotional Intelligence and Contagion Moderators of the Association between Students' Perceptions of Instructors' Nonverbal Immediacy Cues and Students' Affect?

Abstract

This study explored students' emotional intelligence and contagion as moderators of the association between their perceptions of instructors' nonverbal immediacy cues and their affect for the course and the instructor. Participants included 305 undergraduate students. Hierarchical regression revealed no significant interaction effects for emotional intelligence or contagion, though emotional intelligence emerged as a significant predictor of students' affect for instructors even after controlling for immediacy. Consequently, students with high levels of emotional intelligence may be more likely to experience affect for their instructors than students with low levels of emotional intelligence, independent of their instructors' immediacy cues.