Relating emotional abilities to social functioning: A comparison of self-report and performance measures of emotional intelligence.

TLDR

Three studies used Mayer and Salovey’s emotional‑intelligence theory to examine how emotional abilities, measured by self‑report and performance tests, relate to social functioning. Self‑ratings were mapped onto the MSCEIT, a validated performance measure of EI. Self‑ratings and MSCEIT scores were weakly correlated; in men, MSCEIT—but not self‑ratings—predicted perceived and real‑time social competence after controlling for personality, highlighting the importance of incorporating gender into EI research.

Abstract

Three studies used J. D. Mayer and P. Salovey's (1997) theory of emotional intelligence (EI) as a framework to examine the role of emotional abilities (assessed with both self-report and performance measures) in social functioning. Self-ratings were assessed in ways that mapped onto the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), a validated performance measure of EI. In Study 1, self-ratings and MSCEIT scores were not strongly correlated. In Study 2, men's MSCEIT scores, but not self-ratings, correlated with perceived social competence after personality measures were held constant. In Study 3, only the MSCEIT predicted real-time social competence, again, just for men. Implications for analyzing how emotional abilities contribute to social behavior are discussed, as is the importance of incorporating gender into theoretical frameworks and study designs.