The EI construct, which developed mainly during the last decade, has been split into an ability-EI and a trait-EI. Originally EI was proposed as an intelligence, needed because emotional information is processed differently from non-emotional information. However, due to the lack of adequate objective measures for ability-EI, trait-EI became popular. In this study, an innovative approach building on the use of mental speed (MS) measures was theoretically justified and applied to emotional information processing in order to tackle the criterion problem for emotional test items and to investigate the relationship between mental speed and intelligence. Emotional and non-emotional tests following a simple reaction time (RT) and the Posner paradigm were constructed and administered along with Raven’s APM to a sample of 121 college and university students at Hiroshima University, Japan. Approximately half of these students were Japanese nationals, while the other half were international students, coming from countries all over the world.
The APM score correlated low but significantly with both RT tests, but neither with the emotional nor the non-emotional long term memory (LTM) access times. In varimax factor analyses (FA) the emotional MS tests grouped together to one factor, while IQ and non-emotional MS tests formed two more factors. Additionally, an AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structures; an SPSS compatible program for structural equation modelling distributed by Smallwaters Company) model confirmed the existence of two factors, one for the emotional and one for the non-emotional testscores.
This general picture did also not change substantially, when the data were analysed separately for the two groups (Japanese, international students). Although there were some changes in the size of single correlations among MS testscores, the results of the FA as well as the AMOS model was supported in the separated group data.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
1. Intelligence - Introduction
1.1 Introduction
1.2. Sternberg’s Theory Of Successful Intelligence
1.3. Social Intelligence
1.4. Multiple Intelligences
2. Intelligence and Human Abilities
2.1. Intelligence As A Unitary Concept
2.2. Carroll’s Three Stratum Theory of Intelligence
2.3. The Berlin Structural Model Of Intelligence
2.4. Problem Solving Ability And Learning Test Concept
CHAPTER TWO
3. Intelligence and Speed of Mind
3.1. Studies On The Connection Between RT And Intelligence
3.1.1. The Hick-Paradigm
3.1.2. The Sternberg-Paradigm
3.1.3. The Posner-Paradigm
3.1.4. Odd Man Out-Paradigm
3.2. Starting Point
3.3. A Developmental Perspective
3.4. Cultural Invariance
3.5. Uniformity Of RT Measures
3.6. Do Different RT Paradigms Yield Different Correlational Patterns With Intelligence?
3.7. Information Psychology And The MS-IQ Correlation
3.8. Predicting Intelligence From RT Measures
3.9. The Issue Of Movement Time
3.10. Specificity Or Singularity Of Mind
3.11. RT-IQ Correlation And Its Dependence On Complexity
3.12. Inspection Time And Intelligence
3.13. Psychophysiological Measures Of Speed And Their Correlation With Intelligence
3.14. The Issue Of Causation
4. Criticism Of Mental Speed Approach
CHAPTER THREE
5. Emotions
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Emotions In General
5.3. The Prototypical Model Of Emotions
5.4. The Concept Of Basic Emotions
5.4.1. Criticism of the Basic Emotion Concept
5.5. Vascular Theory of Emotion
5.6. Neural Structures And Emotional Processes – Evidence From Mental Deficit Studies
5.6.1. The Issue of Schizophrenia
5.6.2. The Issue of Autism
5.7. Brain Structures And Emotions
5.7.2. Facial Agnosia
5.8. Withdrawal/ Approach System
5.8.1. The Prefrontal Cortex
5.8.2. The Amygdala
5.8.3. Withdrawal/Approach System in the Context of the Dimensional and Categorical View on Emotions
5.8.4. Handedness and recognition of emotions
5.9. Regularity In Emotional Experience
CHAPTER FOUR
6. Concepts Of Emotional Intelligence
6.1 EI Conceptualized According To Salovey And Mayer
6.1.1 Is EI an Intelligence?
6.1.2 Further Criticism on the Ability Concept of EI
6.1.3. The Schutte EI Scale
6.1.4. The Arrival of Objective Measures
6.2. The Bar-On EQ-I
6.3. EI – Conclusions
7. Recognition Of Emotions In Faces
7.1 Early Investigations
7.2. Beyond The Use Of Only Positive Vs. Negative Emotions
7.3. The Role Of Context And Other Sources Of Information
8. INTEGRATION OF THE RESEARCH REPORTED
9. METHOD
9.1. SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS
9.2. MEASURES
9.2.1. Construction of Tests
9.2.1.1. Reaction Time Tests
9.2.1.1.1. Emotional reaction time task
9.2.1.1.2. Non-emotional reaction time task
9.2.1.2. The Posner Paradigm Task
9.2.1.2.1. Emotional Posner paradigm test
9.2.1.2.2. Non-emotional Posner paradigm test
9.2.2. Designation, Derivation and Meaning of the Developed Testscores
9.2.3. Intelligence Test
9.3. PROCEDURE
10. RESULTS
10.1. TEST CHARACTERISTICS
10.1.1. IQ Testscore
10.1.2. Mental Speed Testscores
10.1.2.1. Data Cleaning
10.1.2.1.1. Ambiguous items
10.1.2.1.2. Outliers
10.1.2.2. Distribution of MS testscores
10.1.2.3. Reliability
10.1.3. Dependence of Testscores on Situational and Personal Variables
10.1.3.1. Age of subjects
10.1.3.1.1. Age and IQ
10.1.3.1.2. Age and MS
10.1.3.2. Gender of subjects
10.1.3.2.1. Gender and IQ
10.1.3.2.2. Gender and MS
10.1.3.3. Testorder
10.1.3.3.1. Testorder and IQ
10.1.3.3.2. Testorder and MS
10.1.3.4. Button control
10.2. RELATIONSHIP AMONG MS TESTS
10.2.1. Considerations
10.2.2. Relationship Between the Emotional and Non-Emotional MS Tests
10.2.2.1. Emotional and non-emotional RT tests
10.2.2.2. Emotional and non-emotional PP tests
10.2.2.3. Comparing RT and PP tests
10.3. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IQ AND MS TESTSCORES
10.3.1. IQ and RT Testscores
10.3.2. IQ and PP Testscores
10.3.3. Factor Analysis Including IQ, RT, and PP Testscores
10.3.4. Regression Analysis
10.3.5. AMOS Model Building
10.4. RESULTS SEPARATED FOR CULTURAL GROUPS
10.4.1. Relationship between emotional and non-emotional MS testscores
10.4.1.1. Emotional and Non-emotional RT Tests
10.4.1.2. Emotional and Non-emotional PP Tests
10.4.1.3. Comparing RT Tests with PP Tests
10.4.2. Relationship between IQ and MS Testscores
10.4.2.1. IQ and MS Tests
10.4.2.2. Factor Analysis Including IQ, RT, and PP Testscores
10.4.3. The AMOS Model – One Model for All?
11. DISCUSSION
11.1. The Use Of Mental Speed Measures
11.2. Relationship Among Emotional And Non-emotional MS Tests
11.3. Relationship Between IQ And MS Testscores
11.4. Group Differences
12. FOLLOW-UP STUDY
12.1. OVERVIEW
12.2. METHOD
12.2.1. Sample Characteristics
12.2.2. Measures
12.2.3. Procedure
12.3. RESULTS
12.3.1. Testcharacteristics
12.3.1.1. Data Cleaning
12.3.1.2. Distribution of Testscores
12.3.1.3. Reliability – Internal Consistency
12.3.1.4. Correlation to Personal Variables
12.3.1.4.1. Age of subjects
12.3.1.4.2. Gender of subjects
12.3.2. Relationship among MS Tests
12.3.2.1. Relationship in the Follow-up Study
12.3.2.1.1. Emotional and non-emotional RT tests
12.3.2.1.2. Emotional and non-emotional PP tests
12.3.2.1.3. Comparing all MS scores
12.3.2.2. Relationship between Main and Follow-up Study
12.3.2.2.1. Stability in MS scores
12.3.2.2.2. Stability in correlation to IQ
12.3.2.2.3. Stability in the AMOS model
12.4. DISCUSSION
12.4.1. The Level Of Testscores
12.4.2. The Level Of Relationship Pattern
12.4.3. Stability In The AMOS Model
13. GENERAL DISCUSSION
14. REFERENCES
APPENDIX
Research Objectives and Themes
This dissertation investigates the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and traditional academic intelligence, focusing on the hypothesis that EI involves differential information processing. The primary research question is whether mental speed (MS) measures, traditionally used to evaluate academic intelligence, can also provide a valid and objective framework for measuring aspects of emotional intelligence, specifically emotion recognition in faces.
- The theoretical distinction and potential integration of ability-based EI and traditional academic intelligence constructs.
- The use of reaction time (RT) and Posner paradigm tasks as objective mental speed measures in emotional information processing.
- The comparative analysis of mental speed parameters across emotional and non-emotional tasks among diverse student populations.
- Evaluation of the structural validity of EI through factor analysis and structural equation modeling (AMOS).
Excerpt from the Book
The Prototypical Model of Emotions
In 1980 Russel proposed to solve issues of controversy regarding the factorial structure of emotions by his circumplex model. Former research had suggested several independent monopolar factors of affect, which became associated with certain emotions and resulted in models that regard single emotions as discrete states. Ekman’s cross-cultural work on facial expressions of emotions is identified as one such model by Russel (1980).
Russel (1990) proposed that two bipolar dimensions should adequately describe the affective space. Using different tasks and samples of subjects Russel evaluated his claim of two dimensions for the affective space (for details of the studies refer to: Russel, 1980). The orthogonality of the two dimensions was confirmed in another study, in which the correlation between the pleasure and arousal axis was only .03, arriving at the model depicted in figure 3.
In a 1984 article, Russel extended his circumplex model with a prototypical perspective on emotions (Fehr & Russel, 1984). The most important assumption is the impossibility to draw sharp and concise boundaries around one specific emotion as well as around a definition of the term emotion itself. Hence, the classical view that the term emotion can be precisely defined by one or more individually necessary and jointly sufficient features does not apply to the concept of emotions.
The prototypical approach acknowledges that some concepts lack defining attributes. To make up for such shortcomings, a definition must be centered around the clearest example for the concept. This clearest example is referred to as the prototype, while “other members of the concept vary in their degree of family resemblance to the prototypes” (Fehr & Russel, 1984; p. 466).
Summary of Chapters
1. Intelligence - Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of human intelligence theories, including Gardner's multiple intelligences, Sternberg's successful intelligence, and Salovey & Mayer's emotional intelligence.
2. Intelligence and Human Abilities: This section explores various models of human intelligence, covering Spearman's g-factor, Carroll's Three Stratum Theory, and the Berlin Structural Model of Intelligence.
3. Intelligence and Speed of Mind: This chapter details the historical and empirical connection between reaction time (RT) measures and intelligence, describing paradigms like Hick's and Posner's.
4. Criticism Of Mental Speed Approach: This section examines counterarguments against using mental speed as a primary indicator of intelligence, emphasizing that speed is not a simple, unitary construct.
5. Emotions: The chapter introduces theoretical perspectives on emotions, including the circumplex model and the debate between prototypical and basic emotion concepts.
6. Concepts Of Emotional Intelligence: This chapter critically reviews the development of EI as a construct, focusing on ability-based vs. trait-based models and the need for objective measurement.
7. Recognition Of Emotions In Faces: This section reviews historical and methodological research on how humans decode emotional information from facial expressions.
8. INTEGRATION OF THE RESEARCH REPORTED: This chapter synthesizes the literature to justify the study's innovative use of mental speed measures to test EI.
9. METHOD: This section outlines the study's participant sample, the construction of the emotional and non-emotional reaction time and Posner paradigm tests, and the testing procedure.
10. RESULTS: This chapter presents the statistical findings, including reliability, age and gender correlations, factor analyses, and AMOS structural equation modeling.
11. DISCUSSION: The author interprets the empirical findings, assessing the validity of using mental speed measures in EI research and addressing group stability.
12. FOLLOW-UP STUDY: This chapter provides results from a re-administration of tests to a subsample to verify the temporal stability of the mental speed measures.
13. GENERAL DISCUSSION: The author concludes by summarizing the implications of the study for future emotional intelligence assessment and research.
Keywords
Emotional Intelligence, Mental Speed, Reaction Time, Posner Paradigm, Emotion Recognition, Academic Intelligence, Factor Analysis, AMOS, Cognitive Ability, Information Processing, Structural Modeling, Psychometric Testing
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this dissertation?
This work explores the intersection between emotional intelligence (EI) and traditional academic intelligence, specifically by applying mental speed (MS) measures to emotional information processing.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The themes include the conceptualization of human intelligence, the role of speed in information processing, theoretical models of emotion, and the development of objective measurement tools for emotional intelligence.
What is the main objective of the research?
The goal is to determine if mental speed parameters—typically used in cognitive intelligence testing—can validly measure emotional information processing without relying on subjective self-report scales.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The research employs reaction time (RT) tasks, the Posner paradigm for long-term memory retrieval, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling via AMOS to analyze the relationship between emotional and non-emotional variables.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers the history of intelligence research, the various theories of emotion, the shift toward objective EI assessment, and the experimental methodology used to compare emotional and non-emotional cognitive performance in a diverse student sample.
Which keywords characterize this research?
Key terms include Emotional Intelligence, Mental Speed, Emotion Recognition, Cognitive Ability, Factor Analysis, and Psychometric Testing.
How does the author define Emotional Intelligence?
The author adheres to the definition proposed by Salovey and Mayer, focusing on EI as a subset of social intelligence involved in the ability to monitor, discriminate, and utilize emotional information to guide thought and action.
What are the findings regarding the stability of the EI model?
The study finds that while stability in the tested models exists, there are cultural variations, and future research is required to further refine the construct of an independent emotional speed factor.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Arnold Ackerer (Autor:in), 2003, Emotional Intelligence, Academic Intelligence and Speed of Mind: The Case of Emotion Perception, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/21685
