title: What is the Ability Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) good for? An evaluation using item response theory.
abstract: The ability approach has been indicated as promising for advancing research in emotional intelligence (EI). However, there is scarcity of tests measuring EI as a form of intelligence. The Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, or MSCEIT, is among the few available and the most widespread measure of EI as an ability. This implies that conclusions about the value of EI as a meaningful construct and about its utility in predicting various outcomes mainly rely on the properties of this test. We tested whether individuals who have the highest probability of choosing the most correct response on any item of the test are also those who have the strongest EI ability. Results showed that this is not the case for most items: The answer indicated by experts as the most correct in several cases was not associated with the highest ability; furthermore, items appeared too easy to challenge individuals high in EI. Overall results suggest that the MSCEIT is best suited to discriminate persons at the low end of the trait. Results are discussed in light of applied and theoretical considerations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organizational Behavior, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiori
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Antonietti
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Moira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mikolajczak
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Luminet
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hansenne
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rossier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D055815:Young Adult