Introducing a short version of the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test (GERT-S): Psychometric properties and construct validation

Understanding the Psychosis Spectrum Using a Hierarchical Model of Social Cognition

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

Social cognitive impairments are central to psychosis, including lower severity psychosis-like experiences (PLEs). Nonetheless, progress has been hindered by social cognition's poorly defined factor structure, as well as limited work examining the specificity of social cognitive impairment to psychosis. The present study examined how PLEs relate to social cognition in the context of other psychopathology dimensions, using a hierarchical factors approach to social cognition.

STUDY DESIGN

Online community participants (N = 1026) completed psychosis, autism, and personality disorder questionnaires, as well as 3 social cognitive tasks that varied in methodology (vignette vs video) and construct (higher- vs lower-level social cognition). Exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were used to model social cognition, with the best models being examined in association with PLEs and psychopathology dimensions.

STUDY RESULTS

EFA and CFA supported a hierarchical model of social cognition, with 2 higher-order factors emerging: verbal/vignette task methodology and a multimethod general social cognition factor. These higher-order factors accounted for task-level associations to psychopathology, with relations to positive symptoms (r = .23) and antagonism (r = .28). After controlling for other psychopathology, positive symptoms were most clearly related to tasks with verbal methodology (β = -0.34).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that broad social cognitive processes and method effects may account for many previous findings in psychosis and psychopathology research. Additionally, accounting for broad social cognitive impairment may yield insights into more specific social cognitive processes as well.

Emotion-specific vocabulary and its relation to emotion understanding in children and adolescents

Among children and adolescents, emotion understanding relates to academic achievement and higher well-being. This study investigates the role of general and emotion-specific language skills in children's and adolescents' emotion understanding, building on previous research highlighting the significance of domain-specific language skills in conceptual development. We employ a novel inventory (CEVVT) to assess emotion-specific vocabulary. The study involved 10-11-year-old children (N = 29) and 16-17-year-old adolescents (N = 28), examining their emotion recognition and knowledge of emotion regulation strategies. Results highlight the ongoing development of emotion-specific vocabulary across these age groups. Emotion recognition correlated with general vocabulary in the younger group. In the older age group, emotion recognition was related to emotion-specific vocabulary size, but this effect only became apparent when controlling for the depth of emotion-specific vocabulary. Against expectation, there were no significant contributions of general or emotion-specific vocabulary to knowledge of emotion regulation strategies in either age group. These findings enhance our comprehension of the nuanced interplay between language and emotion across developmental stages.

Analyzing the Factor Structure of the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire: Dimensionality, Reliability, Validity, Measurement Invariance and One-Year Stability of the German Version

In the face of heterogeneity in the measurement of empathy, the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ; Spreng et al., Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(1), 62-71 (2009)) was developed as a brief unidimensional tool by statistically forming a consensus from existing measures of the construct. The present study aimed to (1) validate a German version of the TEQ, and (2) contribute empirical evidence to the ongoing debate regarding a singular versus multidimensional factor structure of the TEQ. One cross-sectional and two longitudinal studies were performed, with a total of 1,075 participants. Our initial exploratory factor analyses suggested either a one- or a two-factor structure (with the two-factors clustering straight and reverse-scored items); the two-factor model outperformed the one-factor model using confirmatory factor analyses. However, after negated items were replaced by positively reworded alternatives, both models fit the data equally well. A comparison of the correlation patterns with numerous external measures indicated that a second factor of the TEQ is a methodological artifact of item wording. Finally, a unidimensional TEQ scale showed sufficient internal consistency, two-week test-retest reliability, one-year stability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity with measures of empathy, emotion recognition, emotion regulation, altruism, social desirability, and the Big Five personality traits.

Designing and evaluating tasks to measure individual differences in experimental psychology: a tutorial

Experimental psychology is witnessing an increase in research on individual differences, which requires the development of new tasks that can reliably assess variations among participants. To do this, cognitive researchers need statistical methods that many researchers have not learned during their training. The lack of expertise can pose challenges not only in designing good, new tasks but also in evaluating tasks developed by others. To bridge the gap, this article provides an overview of test psychology applied to performance tasks, covering fundamental concepts such as standardization, reliability, norming and validity. It provides practical guidelines for developing and evaluating experimental tasks, as well as for combining tasks to better understand individual differences. To further address common misconceptions, the article lists 11 prevailing myths. The purpose of this guide is to provide experimental psychologists with the knowledge and tools needed to conduct rigorous and insightful studies of individual differences.

Treating social cognition impairment with the online therapy 'SoCoBo': A randomized controlled trial including traumatic brain injury patients

OBJECTIVE

Acquired brain injuries (ABIs), such as traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), often entail impairments of general cognition (e.g., memory, attention or executive functions) and social cognition (e.g. emotion recognition, theory of mind [ToM], social problem-solving). The availability of fully computerized interventions targeting sociocognitive deficits specifically in neurologically impaired patients is extremely limited. Therefore, the Treatment Program for Deficits in Social Cognition and Social Competencies of the Ruhr University Bochum (SoCoBo), a fully computerized online therapy designed for ABI patients was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial involving TBI patients.

METHOD

Sixty-four patients with TBI were randomly assigned to two groups with 43 patients fully completing either SoCoBo (N = 27) or a commercially available computerized program for cognitive rehabilitation (RehaCom®, N = 16). All participants underwent comprehensive pre-post online neuropsychological assessment and worked with their respective rehabilitation programs for four days a week during a scheduled period of 12 weeks.

RESULTS

After treatment, the SoCoBo group, but not the RehaCom® group showed significant improvements in facial emotion recognition and self-rated empathy. Moreover, in the SoCoBo group, an increase in empathy was also associated with increased life satisfaction after treatment. There were no improvements in ToM and social problem-solving. Furthermore, general cognition did not improve in any of the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

SoCoBo represents an effective new online therapy for the amelioration of deficits in key domains of social cognition. Its implementation in clinical practice will serve as a meaningful addition to the existing fully computerized approaches specifically in neurological patient groups.

An Evaluation of Cross-Cultural Adaptations of Social Cognition Testing: A Systematic Review

Social cognition remains one of the most difficult cognitive domains to assess in diverse populations due to a lack of culturally appropriate tools. This study systematically reviewed literature on neuropsychological tests for social cognition that have been translated, adapted, are cross-cultural, or are assembled for diverse, specifically "Global South," populations. The aim was to identify assessments appropriate for diverse populations, outline and evaluate their methodological approaches, and provide procedural recommendations for future research. The PRISMA systematic review search strategy produced 10,957 articles, of which 287 were selected for full-text screening. The study had to include a neuropsychological assessment of social cognition. The full text of the resulting 287 articles was then screened; the study had to include a translated, adapted, cross-cultural test, or an assembled test for Global South populations. Eighty-four articles were included in this study: 24 for emotion recognition, 45 for theory of mind, 9 for moral reasoning, and six for social cognition in general. Overall, there were 31 translations, 27 adaptations, 14 cross-cultural tests, and 12 assembled tests for Global South populations. Regarding quality, 35 were of low quality, 27 were of moderate quality, and 22 were high quality. This study provides an overview of social cognition tests modified or assembled for diverse populations and gives examples of methodological procedures. It highlights the variability in procedure quality and provides possible reasons for this variability. Finally, it suggests a need to report rigorous modification and assembly procedure in order to have modified and assembled social cognition tests appropriate for diverse populations.

The Meso-Expression Test (MET): A Novel Assessment of Emotion Perception

Emotion perception is a primary facet of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and the underpinning of interpersonal communication. In this study, we examined meso-expressions-the everyday, moderate-intensity emotions communicated through the face, voice, and body. We theoretically distinguished meso-expressions from other well-known emotion research paradigms (i.e., macro-expression and micro-expressions). In Study 1, we demonstrated that people can reliably discriminate between meso-expressions, and we created a corpus of 914 unique video displays of meso-expressions across a race- and gender-diverse set of expressors. In Study 2, we developed a novel video-based assessment of emotion perception ability: The Meso-Expression Test (MET). In this study, we found that the MET is psychometrically valid and demonstrated measurement equivalence across Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White perceiver groups and across men and women. In Study 3, we examined the construct validity of the MET and showed that it converged with other well-known measures of emotion perception and diverged from cognitive ability. Finally, in Study 4, we showed that the MET is positively related to important psychosocial outcomes, including social well-being, social connectedness, and empathic concern and is negatively related to alexithymia, stress, depression, anxiety, and adverse social interactions. We conclude with a discussion focused on the implications of our findings for EI ability research and the practical applications of the MET.

Markers of limbic system damage following SARS-CoV-2 infection

Alterations of the limbic system may be present in the chronic phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our aim was to study the long-term impact of this disease on limbic system-related behaviour and its associated brain functional connectivity, according to the severity of respiratory symptoms in the acute phase. To this end, we investigated the multimodal emotion recognition abilities of 105 patients from the Geneva COVID-COG Cohort 223 days on average after SARS-CoV-2 infection (diagnosed between March 2020 and May 2021), dividing them into three groups (severe, moderate or mild) according to respiratory symptom severity in the acute phase. We used multiple regressions and partial least squares correlation analyses to investigate the relationships between emotion recognition, olfaction, cognition, neuropsychiatric symptoms and functional brain networks. Six to 9 months following SARS-CoV-2 infection, moderate patients exhibited poorer recognition abilities than mild patients for expressions of fear (P = 0.03 corrected), as did severe patients for disgust (P = 0.04 corrected) and irritation (P < 0.01 corrected). In the whole cohort, these performances were associated with decreased episodic memory and anosmia, but not with depressive symptoms, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Neuroimaging revealed a positive contribution of functional connectivity, notably between the cerebellum and the default mode, somatosensory motor and salience/ventral attention networks. These results highlight the long-term consequences of SARS-Cov-2 infection on the limbic system at both the behavioural and neuroimaging levels.

Should I post? The relationships among social media use, emotion recognition, and mental health

Introduction

While increased time spent on social media can be negatively related to one's overall mental health, social media research often fails to account for what behaviors users are actually engaging in while they are online. The present research helps to address this gap by measuring participants' active and passive social media behavioral styles and investigates whether and how these two social media behavioral styles are related to depression, anxiety, and stress, and the mediating role of emotion recognition ability in this relationship.

Methods

A pre-study (N = 128) tested whether various social media behaviors reliably grouped into active and passive behavioral styles, and a main study (N = 139) tested the relationships between social media use style, emotion recognition, and mental health.

Results

While we did not find evidence of a mediating relationship between these variables, results supported that more active social media use was related to more severe anxiety and stress as well as poorer emotion recognition skill, while passive social media use was unrelated to these outcomes.

Discussion

These findings highlight that, beyond objective time spent on social media, future research must consider how users are spending their time online.

Emotional intelligence matters in hospitality education: contributions of emotional intelligence, fluid ability, and personality to hospitality grades

Introduction

According to recent meta-analyses, emotional intelligence can significantly predict academic performance. In this research, we wanted to investigate a particular group of students for which emotional intelligence should be crucial. Namely, we examined whether emotional intelligence, conceptualized as an ability, uniquely contributes to academic performance in hospitality management education beyond fluid intelligence and personality.

Methods

Using a battery of tests and questionnaires in an online survey, we analyzed if fluid ability, the Big-Five personality dimensions, and ability-based emotional intelligence predict six module grades in a sample of N = 330 first-semester students at a Swiss-based hospitality school.

Results

We found that the ability to manage other people's emotions is more predictive of module grades than fluid ability if the courses involve substantial parts of interactive work. Complementarily, the more a module focuses on theoretical knowledge or abstract subject material, the more fluid ability predicted performance. Other abilities and factors - emotion understanding, emotion regulation, the students' age, conscientiousness, and openness - predicted performance only in specific modules, hinting that the didactic methods and grading procedures are complex and involve various skills and dispositions of the students.

Discussion

Given that the hospitality education and industry are buzzing with interactions with peers and guests alike, we provide evidence that interpersonal and emotional competencies are vital to hospitality curricula.

The Jena Voice Learning and Memory Test (JVLMT): A standardized tool for assessing the ability to learn and recognize voices

The ability to recognize someone's voice spans a broad spectrum with phonagnosia on the low end and super-recognition at the high end. Yet there is no standardized test to measure an individual's ability of learning and recognizing newly learned voices with samples of speech-like phonetic variability. We have developed the Jena Voice Learning and Memory Test (JVLMT), a 22-min test based on item response theory and applicable across languages. The JVLMT consists of three phases in which participants (1) become familiarized with eight speakers, (2) revise the learned voices, and (3) perform a 3AFC recognition task, using pseudo-sentences devoid of semantic content. Acoustic (dis)similarity analyses were used to create items with various levels of difficulty. Test scores are based on 22 items which had been selected and validated based on two online studies with 232 and 454 participants, respectively. Mean accuracy in the JVLMT is 0.51 (SD = .18) with an empirical (marginal) reliability of 0.66. Correlational analyses showed high and moderate convergent validity with the Bangor Voice Matching Test (BVMT) and Glasgow Voice Memory Test (GVMT), respectively, and high discriminant validity with a digit span test. Four participants with potential super recognition abilities and seven participants with potential phonagnosia were identified who performed at least 2 SDs above or below the mean, respectively. The JVLMT is a promising research and diagnostic screening tool to detect both impairments in voice recognition and super-recognition abilities.

Brain functional connectivity alterations associated with neuropsychological performance 6-9 months following SARS-CoV-2 infection

Neuropsychological deficits and brain damage following SARS-CoV-2 infection are not well understood. Then, 116 patients, with either severe, moderate, or mild disease in the acute phase underwent neuropsychological and olfactory tests, as well as completed psychiatric and respiratory questionnaires at 223 ± 42 days postinfection. Additionally, a subgroup of 50 patients underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. Patients in the severe group displayed poorer verbal episodic memory performances, and moderate patients had reduced mental flexibility. Neuroimaging revealed patterns of hypofunctional and hyperfunctional connectivities in severe patients, while only hyperconnectivity patterns were observed for moderate. The default mode, somatosensory, dorsal attention, subcortical, and cerebellar networks were implicated. Partial least squares correlations analysis confirmed specific association between memory, executive functions performances and brain functional connectivity. The severity of the infection in the acute phase is a predictor of neuropsychological performance 6-9 months following SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 infection causes long-term memory and executive dysfunctions, related to large-scale functional brain connectivity alterations.

Testing the social mindfulness paradigm: Longitudinal evidence of its unidimensionality, reliability, validity, and replicability in a sample of health care providers

OBJECTIVES

Social mindfulness is a relatively new concept in psychological research and is attracting increasing attention. Recent studies have provided evidence of its relevance with regard to prosocial behavior and empathy, but also concerning individual well-being and psychological health. In such studies, social mindfulness has been assessed using the social mindfulness paradigm by Van Doesum and colleagues, which is the standard measure of social mindfulness to date. However, evidence is scarce or lacking with regard to whether this measurement approach is unidimensional, whether it produces (test-retest) reliable and valid measurements, and whether its associations with personality and empathy are replicable.

METHODS

To test these assumptions, we assessed a sample of 265 participants currently working in health care professions on social mindfulness, several concepts of empathy, and the HEXACO personality dimensions longitudinally at two measurement occasions.

RESULTS

The results supported the assumption of unidimensionality of the measure. Partial support was found for its reliability, validity, and replicability. Test-retest reliability was acceptable, but the associations with personality and empathy turned out weaker than expected.

CONCLUSIONS

The social mindfulness paradigm is an interesting approach toward understanding social mindfulness, meaning mindfulness of other people's needs. Potential directions for the further development of the social mindfulness paradigm and its network of relations, especially to empathy, are discussed.

Affectively effective: Work-related emotional intelligence as a predictor of organizational citizenship

Introduction

Efforts to link ability-related emotional intelligence to organizational behavior have resulted in modest findings.

Methods

The present three studies examine whether a work-contextualized form of emotional intelligence (W-EI) may have greater predictive value, particularly in the organizational citizenship domain. Because W-EI should benefit social relationships within the workplace, positive associations between W-EI and organizational citizenship behavior were hypothesized.

Results

This hypothesis was supported in three studies (total N = 462) involving samples of part-time student employees (Study 1), postdoctoral researchers (Study 2), and full-time employees (Study 3). All studies also provided evidence for incremental validity, such as with respect to the Big 5 personality traits, and Study 3 highlighted processes related to workplace engagement (in the form of higher levels of interpersonal job satisfaction and lower levels of burnout).

Discussion

The results demonstrate the importance of W-EI in understanding employee variations in organizational citizenship.

Emotional intelligence and emotion information processing: Proof of concept of a test measuring accuracy in discriminating emotions

Emotion information processing (EI_P) has been recently introduced as a new component of emotional intelligence. We present a task aiming at measuring a type of emotion information processing related to fine-grained discrimination of emotional expressions. We modified an existing task presenting morphed faces created from a blend of two prototypical emotional expressions. Participants' (N = 154) ability-EI, in particular emotion recognition, understanding and management, as well as intelligence were evaluated. Results show that all facets of EI independently predicted accuracy in the discrimination task and that emotion recognition was the strongest predictor. When controlling for emotion recognition level, we found that emotion understanding still predicted accuracy for less difficult stimuli. Results support the idea that individuals high in EI have higher emotion processing skills at the emotion perception stage of information processing and suggest that the task employed in the current study might measure more spontaneous processing of emotional expressions. Implications regarding the use of the current task as a new measure of the EI_P component are discussed.

The Sound of Emotion: Pinpointing Emotional Voice Processing Via Frequency Tagging EEG

Successfully engaging in social communication requires efficient processing of subtle socio-communicative cues. Voices convey a wealth of social information, such as gender, identity, and the emotional state of the speaker. We tested whether our brain can systematically and automatically differentiate and track a periodic stream of emotional utterances among a series of neutral vocal utterances. We recorded frequency-tagged EEG responses of 20 neurotypical male adults while presenting streams of neutral utterances at a 4 Hz base rate, interleaved with emotional utterances every third stimulus, hence at a 1.333 Hz oddball frequency. Four emotions (happy, sad, angry, and fear) were presented as different conditions in different streams. To control the impact of low-level acoustic cues, we maximized variability among the stimuli and included a control condition with scrambled utterances. This scrambling preserves low-level acoustic characteristics but ensures that the emotional character is no longer recognizable. Results revealed significant oddball EEG responses for all conditions, indicating that every emotion category can be discriminated from the neutral stimuli, and every emotional oddball response was significantly higher than the response for the scrambled utterances. These findings demonstrate that emotion discrimination is fast, automatic, and is not merely driven by low-level perceptual features. Eventually, here, we present a new database for vocal emotion research with short emotional utterances (EVID) together with an innovative frequency-tagging EEG paradigm for implicit vocal emotion discrimination.

Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Hypersensitivity in Gifted Individuals

The goal of the present study was to investigate the associations between high intelligence, emotional intelligence (EI), and emotional hypersensitivity in a sample of 304 Mensa members. In addition, we aimed to shed light on how highly intelligent individuals process emotional information. In a previous study, we found that individuals with high EI in the general population are characterized by an attentional bias toward emotional information. We tested whether this effect holds for highly intelligent individuals by drawing on the same procedure: participants (N = 124 Mensa members) had to report a letter appearing behind a picture of a face with emotional or a neutral facial expression, and their reaction time to provide an answer was recorded. Comparing the results from the general population to those of Mensa members, we found that Mensa members did not show the attentional bias toward emotional information found in the general population. Mensa members were equally fast to evaluate letters replacing emotional and neutral expressions, and this result was not influenced by EI level. Possible explanations include the role of inhibitory processes (a factor related to intelligence), which might have contributed to treating emotional information as purely cognitive.

The relationship between medical students' empathy, mental health, and burnout: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate how medical students' empathy is related to their mental health and burnout.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 886 medical students from curriculum years 1-6. The cognitive, affective, and behavioural dimensions of empathy were measured with self-report questionnaires and an emotion recognition test. Regressions were used to test the relationship between the empathy dimensions, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and burnout as well as the influence of curriculum year and gender.

RESULTS

Cognitive and behavioural empathy were significantly related to less mental health issues and burnout, whereas affective empathy was related to more mental health issues and burnout. Students in later curriculum years reported less mental health issues and burnout than students in earlier years, whereas no systematic difference could be observed for empathy. Female students reported more mental health issues and burnout as well as higher empathy, except for behavioural empathy for which male students scored higher.

CONCLUSIONS

The cognitive, affective, and behavioural dimensions of empathy were differently related to the mental health and burnout of medical students. Students presenting mental health issues or burnout might have more difficulty to adapt their behaviour in social situations and keep a certain distance when taking others' perspective.

Validation of Affective Sentences: Extending Beyond Basic Emotion Categories

We use nonverbal and verbal emotion cues to determine how others are feeling. Most studies in vocal emotion perception do not consider the influence of verbal content, using sentences with nonsense words or words that carry no emotional meaning. These online studies aimed to validate 95 sentences with verbal content intended to convey 10 emotions. Participants were asked to select the emotion that best described the emotional meaning of the sentence. Study 1 included 436 participants and Study 2 included 193. The Simpson diversity index was applied as a measure of dispersion of responses. Across the two studies, 38 sentences were labelled as representing 10 emotion categories with a low degree of diversity in participant responses. Expanding current databases beyond basic emotion categories is important for researchers exploring the interaction between tone of voice and verbal content, and/or people's capacity to make subtle distinctions between their own and others' emotions.

Quarreling After a Sleepless Night: Preliminary Evidence of the Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Interpersonal Conflict

Although poor sleep has been found to correlate with deteriorations in romantic relationships, its causal impact on interpersonal conflict has not previously been studied. Therefore, 30 couples were randomly assigned to either a single night of total sleep deprivation or a night of normal sleep to test the effects of sleep deprivation on couples’ conflict. After the experimental night, all participants discussed a topic of recurrent conflict for 15 min. We collected pre- and post-conflict measures of cortisol, self-reports of feelings, and satisfaction with the conflictual discussion. Multilevel analyses revealed higher cortisol levels during conflict and less positive affect prior to and after the conflict for sleep-deprived couples compared to couples in the control condition. These findings provide initial evidence for a causal negative impact of sleep deprivation on couples’ conflicts.

Assessing Emotional Intelligence Abilities, Acquiescent and Extreme Responding in Situational Judgment Tests Using Principal Component Metrics

Principal Component Metrics is a novel theoretically-based and data-driven methodology that enables the evaluation of the internal structure at item level of maximum emotional intelligence tests. This method disentangles interindividual differences in emotional ability from acquiescent and extreme responding. Principal Component Metrics are applied to existing (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test) and assembled (specifically, the Situational Test of Emotion Understanding, the Situational Test of Emotion Management, and the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test) emotional intelligence test batteries in an analysis of three samples (total N = 2,303 participants). In undertaking these analyses important aspects of the nomological network of emotional intelligence, acquiescent, and extreme responding are investigated. The current study adds a central piece of empirical validity evidence to the emotional intelligence domain. In the three different samples, theoretically predicted internal structures at item level were found using raw item scores. The validity of the indicators for emotional intelligence, acquiescent, and extreme responding was confirmed by their relationships across emotional intelligence tests and by their nomological networks. The current findings contribute to evaluating the efficacy of the emotional intelligence construct as well as the validity evidence surrounding the instruments that are currently designed for its assessment, in the process opening new perspectives for analyzing existing and constructing new emotional intelligence tests.

Higher emotional awareness is associated with greater domain-general reflective tendencies

The tendency to reflect on the emotions of self and others is a key aspect of emotional awareness (EA)—a trait widely recognized as relevant to mental health. However, the degree to which EA draws on general reflective cognition vs. specialized socio-emotional mechanisms remains unclear. Based on a synthesis of work in neuroscience and psychology, we recently proposed that EA is best understood as a learned application of domain-general cognitive processes to socio-emotional information. In this paper, we report a study in which we tested this hypothesis in 448 (125 male) individuals who completed measures of EA and both general reflective cognition and socio-emotional performance. As predicted, we observed a significant relationship between EA measures and both general reflectiveness and socio-emotional measures, with the strongest contribution from measures of the general tendency to engage in effortful, reflective cognition. This is consistent with the hypothesis that EA corresponds to the application of general reflective cognitive processes to socio-emotional signals.

The Development of a Multi-Modality Emotion Recognition Test Presented via a Mobile Application

Emotion recognition ability is the basis of interpersonal communication and detection of brain alterations. Existing tools for assessing emotion recognition ability are mostly single modality, paper-and-pencil test format, and using only Western stimuli. However, various modalities and cultural factors greatly influence emotion recognition ability. We aimed to develop a multi-modality emotion recognition mobile application (MMER app). A total of 169 healthy adults were recruited as participants. The MMER app’s materials were extracted from a published database, and tablets were used as the interface. The Rasch, factor analysis, and related psychometric analyses were performed. The Cronbach alpha was 0.94, and the test–retest reliability was 0.85. Factor analyses identified three factors. In addition, an adjusted score formula was provided for clinical use. The MMER app has good psychometric properties, and its further possible applications and investigations are discussed.

Investigating individual differences in emotion recognition ability using the ERAM test

Individuals vary in emotion recognition ability (ERA), but the causes and correlates of this variability are not well understood. Previous studies have largely focused on unimodal facial or vocal expressions and a small number of emotion categories, which may not reflect how emotions are expressed in everyday interactions. We investigated individual differences in ERA using a brief test containing dynamic multimodal (facial and vocal) expressions of 5 positive and 7 negative emotions (the ERAM test). Study 1 (N = 593) showed that ERA was positively correlated with emotional understanding, empathy, and openness, and negatively correlated with alexithymia. Women also had higher ERA than men. Study 2 was conducted online and replicated the recognition rates from Study 1 (which was conducted in lab) in a different sample (N = 106). Study 2 also showed that participants who had higher ERA were more accurate in their meta-cognitive judgments about their own accuracy. Recognition rates for visual, auditory, and audio-visual expressions were substantially correlated in both studies. Results provide further clues about the underlying structure of ERA and its links to broader affective processes. The ERAM test can be used for both lab and online research, and is freely available for academic research.

Are People-Centered Intelligences Psychometrically Distinct from Thing-Centered Intelligences? A Meta-Analysis

The Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC) or three-stratum model of intelligence envisions human intelligence as a hierarchy. General intelligence (g) is situated at the top, under which are a group of broad intelligences such as verbal, visuospatial processing, and quantitative knowledge that pertain to more specific areas of reasoning. Some broad intelligences are people-centered, including personal, emotional, and social intelligences; others concern reasoning about things more generally, such as visuospatial and quantitative knowledge. In the present research, we conducted a meta-analysis of 87 studies, including 2322 effect sizes, to examine the average correlation between people-to-people intelligences relative to the average correlation between people-to-thing-centered intelligences (and similar comparisons). Results clearly support the psychometric distinction between people-centered and thing-centered mental abilities. Coupled with evidence for incremental predictions from people-centered intelligences, our findings provide a secure foundation for continued research focused on people-centered mental abilities.

Exploring the Relationship Between Fiction Reading and Emotion Recognition

Fiction reading experience affects emotion recognition abilities, yet the causal link remains underspecified. Current theory suggests fiction reading promotes the simulation of fictional minds, which supports emotion recognition skills. We examine the extent to which contextualized statistical experience with emotion category labels in language is associated with emotion recognition. Using corpus analyses, we demonstrate fiction texts reliably use emotion category labels in an emotive sense (e.g., cry of relief), whereas other genres often use alternative senses (e.g., hurricane relief fund). Furthermore, fiction texts were shown to be a particularly reliable source of information about complex emotions. The extent to which these patterns affect human emotion concepts was analyzed in two behavioral experiments. In experiment 1 (n = 134), experience with fiction text predicted recognition of emotions employed in an emotive sense in fiction texts. In experiment 2 (n = 387), fiction reading experience predicted emotion recognition abilities, overall. These results suggest that long-term language experience, and fiction reading, in particular, supports emotion concepts through exposure to these emotions in context.

Emotion information processing as a new component of emotional intelligence: Theoretical framework and empirical evidence

The relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and emotion information processing (EIP) has received surprisingly little attention in the literature. The present research addresses these gaps in the literature by introducing a conceptualization of emotional intelligence as composed of two distinct components: (1) EIK or emotion Knowledge component, captured by current ability emotional intelligence tests, related to top-down, higher order reasoning about emotions, and which depends more strongly on acquired and culture-bound knowledge about emotions; (2) EIP or emotion information Processing component, measured with emotion information processing tasks, requires faster processing and is based on bottom-up attention-related responses to emotion information. In Study 1 ( N = 349) we tested the factorial structure of this new EIP component within the nomological network of intelligence and current ability emotional intelligence. In Study 2 ( N =111) we tested the incremental validity of EIP in predicting both overall performance and the charisma of a presenter while presenting in a stressful situation. Results support the importance of acknowledging the role of emotion information processing in the emotional intelligence literature and point to the utility of introducing a new EI measure that would capture stable individual differences in how individuals process emotion information.

Face perception across the adult lifespan: evidence for age-related changes independent of general intelligence

It is well-documented that face perception - including facial expression and identity recognition ability - declines with age. To date, however, it is not yet well understood whether this age-related decline reflects face-specific effects, or instead can be accounted for by well-known declines in general intelligence. We examined this issue using a relatively large, healthy, age-diverse (18-88 years) sample (N = 595) who were assessed on well-established measures of face perception and general intelligence. Replicating previous work, we observed that facial expression recognition, facial identity recognition, and general intelligence all showed declines with age. Of importance, the age-related decline of expression and identity recognition was present even when the effects of general intelligence were statistically controlled. Moreover, facial expression and identity ability each showed significant unique associations with age. These results indicate that face perception ability becomes poorer as we age, and that this decline is to some extent relatively focal in nature. Results are in line with a hierarchical structure of face perception ability, and suggest that age appears to have independent effects on the general and specific face processing levels within this structure.

How Multidimensional Is Emotional Intelligence? Bifactor Modeling of Global and Broad Emotional Abilities of the Geneva Emotional Competence Test

Drawing upon multidimensional theories of intelligence, the current paper evaluates if the Geneva Emotional Competence Test (GECo) fits within a higher-order intelligence space and if emotional intelligence (EI) branches predict distinct criteria related to adjustment and motivation. Using a combination of classical and S-1 bifactor models, we find that (a) a first-order oblique and bifactor model provide excellent and comparably fitting representation of an EI structure with self-regulatory skills operating independent of general ability, (b) residualized EI abilities uniquely predict criteria over general cognitive ability as referenced by fluid intelligence, and (c) emotion recognition and regulation incrementally predict grade point average (GPA) and affective engagement in opposing directions, after controlling for fluid general ability and the Big Five personality traits. Results are qualified by psychometric analyses suggesting only emotion regulation has enough determinacy and reliable variance beyond a general ability factor to be treated as a manifest score in analyses and interpretation. Findings call for renewed, albeit tempered, research on EI as a multidimensional intelligence and highlight the need for refined assessment of emotional perception, understanding, and management to allow focused analyses of different EI abilities.

Sty in the Mind's Eye: A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Nomological Network and Internal Consistency of the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test

The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) is the most popular adult measure of individual differences in theory of mind. We present a meta-analytic investigation of the test's psychometric properties (k = 119 effect sizes, 61 studies, n_total = 8,611 persons). Using random effects models, we found the internal consistency of the test was acceptable (α = .73). However, the RMET was more strongly related with emotion perception (r = .33, ρ = .48) relative to alternative theory of mind measures (r = .29, ρ = .39), and weakly to moderately related with vocabulary (r = .25, ρ = .32), cognitive empathy (r = .14, ρ = .20), and affective empathy (r = .13, ρ = .19). Overall, we conclude that the RMET operates rather as emotion perception measure than as theory of mind measure, challenging the interpretation of RMET results.

Emotion recognition impairments and social well-being following right-hemisphere stroke

Accurately recognizing and responding to the emotions of others is essential for proper social communication and helps bind strong relationships that are particularly important for stroke survivors. Emotion recognition typically engages cortical areas that are predominantly right-lateralized including superior temporal and inferior frontal gyri - regions frequently impacted by right-hemisphere stroke. Since prior work already links right-hemisphere stroke to deficits in emotion recognition, this research aims to extend these findings to determine whether impaired emotion recognition after right-hemisphere stroke is associated with worse social well-being outcomes. Eighteen right-hemisphere stroke patients (≥6 months post-stroke) and 21 neurologically healthy controls completed a multimodal emotion recognition test (Geneva Emotion Recognition Test - Short) and reported engagement in social/non-social activities and levels of social support. Right-hemisphere stroke was associated with worse emotion recognition accuracy, though not all patients exhibited impairment. In line with hypotheses, emotion recognition impairments were associated with greater loss of social activities after stroke, an effect that could not be attributed to stroke severity or loss of non-social activities. Impairments were also linked to reduced patient-reported social support. Results implicate emotion recognition difficulties as a potential antecedent of social withdrawal after stroke and warrant future research to test emotion recognition training post-stroke.

Older Adults' Emotion Recognition Ability Is Unaffected by Stereotype Threat

Eliciting negative stereotypes about ageing commonly results in worse performance on many physical, memory, and cognitive tasks in adults aged over 65. The current studies explored the potential effect of this “stereotype threat” phenomenon on older adults’ emotion recognition, a cognitive ability that has been demonstrated to decline with age. In Study 1, stereotypes about emotion recognition ability across the lifespan were established. In Study 2, these stereotypes were utilised in a stereotype threat manipulation that framed an emotion recognition task as assessing either cognitive ability (stereotypically believed to worsen with age), social ability (believed to be stable across lifespan), or general abilities (control). Participants then completed an emotion recognition task in which they labelled dynamic expressions of negative and positive emotions. Self-reported threat concerns were also measured. Framing an emotion recognition task as assessing cognitive ability significantly heightened older adults’ (but not younger adults’) reports of stereotype threat concerns. Despite this, older adults’ emotion recognition performance was unaffected. Unlike other cognitive abilities, recognising facially expressed emotions may be unaffected by stereotype threat, possibly because emotion recognition is automatic, making it less susceptible to the cognitive load that stereotype threat produces.

Emotion Recognition Ability as a Predictor of Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examined emotion recognition ability (ERA) as a predictor of positive and negative affect in two Australian and one German-speaking samples (total N = 469) during the first 2 weeks of major public life restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic in March/April 2020. Individuals with higher ERA did not report more positive affect, but they felt less burdened and reported less negative affect. This association was fully mediated by lower COVID-19-related media consumption and less negative affect after reading an eyewitness report from an Italian city with a high COVID-19 death toll. However, higher ERA was also related to arguing more with close others. For low-to-medium ERA, an adaptive cognitive emotion regulation style predicted lower media consumption and for medium-to-high ERA, a maladaptive regulation style marginally increased the perceived likelihood of experiencing a similar situation as in Italy, suggesting that regulation style may moderate the ERA–affect relationship.

High Schizotypy Predicts Emotion Recognition Independently of Negative Affect

Introduction: Deficits in Emotion Recognition (ER) contribute significantly to poorer functional outcomes in people with schizophrenia. However, rather than reflecting a core symptom of schizophrenia, reduced ER has been suggested to reflect increased mood disorder co-morbidity and confounds of patient status such as medication. We investigated whether ER deficits are replicable in psychometrically defined schizotypy, and whether this putative association is mediated by increased negative affect. Methods: Two hundred and nine participants between the ages of 18 and 69 (66% female) were recruited from online platforms: 80% held an undergraduate qualification or higher, 44% were current students, and 46% were in current employment. Participants were assessed on psychometric schizotypy using the O-LIFE which maps onto the same symptoms structure (positive, negative, and disorganised) as schizophrenia. Negative affect was assessed using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Emotion Recognition of both positive and negative emotions was assessed using the short version of the Geneva Emotion Recognition Task (GERT-S). Results: Negative schizotypy traits predicted poorer ER accuracy to negative emotions (β = -0.192, p = 0.002) as predicted. Unexpectedly, disorganised schizotypy traits predicted improved performance to negative emotions (β = 0.256, p = 0.007) (primarily disgust). Negative affect was found to be unrelated to ER performance of either valence (both p > 0.591). No measure predicted ER accuracy of positive emotions. Positive schizotypy traits were not found to predict either positive or negative ER accuracy. However, positive schizotypy predicted increased confidence in decisions and disorganised schizotypy predicted reduced confidence in decisions. Discussion: The replication of ER deficits in non-clinical negative schizotypy suggests that the association between negative symptoms and ER deficits in clinical samples may be independent of confounds of patient status (i.e., anti-psychotic medication). The finding that this association was independent of negative affect further suggests ER deficits in patients may also be independent of mood disorder co-morbidity. This association was not demonstrated for the positive symptom dimension of the O-LIFE, which may be due to low levels of this trait in the current sample.

The potential of game- and video-based assessments for social attributes: examples from practice

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to describe the development and psychometric properties of a novel game- and video-based assessment of social attributes. Despite their increasing adaption, little research is available on the suitability of games and video analytics for measuring noncognitive attributes in the selection context.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors describe three novel assessments and their psychometric properties in a sample of 1,300 participants: a game-based adaptation of an Emotion Recognition Task, a chatbot-based situational judgment test for emotion management and a video-based conscientiousness assessment.

Findings

The novel assessments show good to moderate convergent validity for Emotional Recognition (r = 0.42), Emotion Management (r = 0.39) and Conscientiousness (r = 0.21). The video-based assessment demonstrates preliminary predictive validity for self-reported work performance. Novel game-based assessments (GBAs) are perceived as better designed and more immersive than traditional questionnaires. Adverse impact analysis indicates small group differences by age, gender and ethnicity.

Research limitations/implications

Predictive validity findings need to be replicated using objective measures of performance, such as performance ratings by supervisors and extended to the GBAs. Adverse impact should be evaluated using a real-life applicant pool and extended to additional groups.

Practical implications

Evidence for the psychometric validity of novel assessment formats supports their adoption in selection and recruitment. Improved user experience and shortened assessment times open up new areas of application.

Originality/value

This study gives first insights into psychometric properties of video- and game-based assessments of social attributes.

The risk of empathy: longitudinal associations between empathy and burnout

OBJECTIVE

Prior research on the relation between empathy and burnout in social professions appears to be inconsistent. Whereas some studies have claimed that empathy functions as a buffer against burnout, others have argued that empathy contributes to the development of burnout. One explanation for this disparity may be methodological as most studies have relied on cross-sectional single-measure designs. To examine their cross-sectional and longitudinal associations, the present study analyzed cross-lagged data of several measures of empathy and burnout.

DESIGN

Data from two longitudinal studies with three to twelve months between measurements were analyzed. The samples contained 172 nursing students and 186 nurses, respectively.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Empathy was assessed using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire, the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test, and the Social Mindfulness Test Paradigm. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Irritation Scale, and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory.

RESULTS

Results showed significant cross-sectional correlations between the questionnaire measures of empathy and burnout. However, there was insufficient support for the cross-lagged associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Associations between empathy and burnout may be attributed to the methodological limitations of cross-sectional designs. However, the influence of potential moderators is discussed as a promising direction of future research.

Promotion of mental health in young adults via mobile phone app: study protocol of the ECoWeB (emotional competence for well-being in Young adults) cohort multiple randomised trials

BACKGROUND

Promoting well-being and preventing poor mental health in young people is a major global priority. Building emotional competence (EC) skills via a mobile app may be an effective, scalable and acceptable way to do this. However, few large-scale controlled trials have examined the efficacy of mobile apps in promoting mental health in young people; none have tailored the app to individual profiles.

METHOD/DESIGN

The Emotional Competence for Well-Being in Young Adults cohort multiple randomised controlled trial (cmRCT) involves a longitudinal prospective cohort to examine well-being, mental health and EC in 16-22 year olds across 12 months. Within the cohort, eligible participants are entered to either the PREVENT trial (if selected EC scores at baseline within worst-performing quartile) or to the PROMOTE trial (if selected EC scores not within worst-performing quartile). In both trials, participants are randomised (i) to continue with usual practice, repeated assessments and a self-monitoring app; (ii) to additionally receive generic cognitive-behavioural therapy self-help in app; (iii) to additionally receive personalised EC self-help in app. In total, 2142 participants aged 16 to 22 years, with no current or past history of major depression, bipolar disorder or psychosis will be recruited across UK, Germany, Spain, and Belgium. Assessments take place at baseline (pre-randomisation), 1, 3 and 12 months post-randomisation. Primary endpoint and outcome for PREVENT is level of depression symptoms on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 at 3 months; primary endpoint and outcome for PROMOTE is emotional well-being assessed on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale at 3 months. Depressive symptoms, anxiety, well-being, health-related quality of life, functioning and cost-effectiveness are secondary outcomes. Compliance, adverse events and potentially mediating variables will be carefully monitored.

CONCLUSIONS

The trial aims to provide a better understanding of the causal role of learning EC skills using interventions delivered via mobile phone apps with respect to promoting well-being and preventing poor mental health in young people. This knowledge will be used to develop and disseminate innovative evidence-based, feasible, and effective Mobile-health public health strategies for preventing poor mental health and promoting well-being.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov ( www.clinicaltrials.org ). Number of identification: NCT04148508 November 2019.

Complementing Human Behavior Assessment by Leveraging Personal Ubiquitous Devices and Social Links: An Evaluation of the Peer-Ceived Momentary Assessment Method

BACKGROUND

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) enables individuals to self-report their subjective momentary physical and emotional states. However, certain conditions, including routine observable behaviors (eg, moods, medication adherence) as well as behaviors that may suggest declines in physical or mental health (eg, memory losses, compulsive disorders) cannot be easily and reliably measured via self-reports.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to examine a method complementary to EMA, denoted as peer-ceived momentary assessment (PeerMA), which enables the involvement of peers (eg, family members, friends) to report their perception of the individual's subjective physical and emotional states. In this paper, we aim to report the feasibility results and identified human factors influencing the acceptance and reliability of the PeerMA.

METHODS

We conducted two studies of 4 weeks each, collecting self-reports from 20 participants about their stress, fatigue, anxiety, and well-being, in addition to collecting peer-reported perceptions from 27 of their peers.

RESULTS

Preliminary results showed that some of the peers reported daily assessments for stress, fatigue, anxiety, and well-being statistically equal to those reported by the participant. We also showed how pairing assessments of participants and peers in time enables a qualitative and quantitative exploration of unique research questions not possible with EMA-only based assessments. We reported on the usability and implementation aspects based on the participants' experience to guide the use of the PeerMA to complement the information obtained via self-reports for observable behaviors and physical and emotional states among healthy individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

It is possible to leverage the PeerMA method as a complement to EMA to assess constructs that fall in the realm of observable behaviors and states in healthy individuals.

Facial emotion recognition in autistic adult females correlates with alexithymia, not autism

Research on predominantly male autistic samples has indicated that impairments in facial emotion recognition typically associated with autism spectrum conditions are instead due to co-occurring alexithymia. However, whether this could be demonstrated using more realistic facial emotion recognition stimuli and applied to autistic females was unclear. In all, 83 females diagnosed with autism spectrum condition completed online self-report measures of autism spectrum condition severity and alexithymia, and afacial emotion recognition deficit that assessed their ability to identify multimodal displays of complex emotions. Higher levels of alexithymia, but not autism spectrum condition severity, were associated with less accurate facial emotion recognition. Difficulty identifying one’s own feelings and externally oriented thinking were the components of alexithymia that were specifically related to facial emotion recognition accuracy. However, alexithymia (and autism spectrum condition severity) was not associated with speed of emotion processing. The findings are primarily discussed with the theoretical view that perceiving and experiencing emotions share the same neural networks, thus being able to recognise one’s own emotions may facilitate the ability to recognise others’. This study is in line with previous similar research on autistic males and suggests impairments in facial emotion recognition in autistic females should be attributed to co-occurring alexithymia.

An Examination of Ability Emotional Intelligence and Its Relationships with Fluid and Crystallized Abilities in a Student Sample

This study investigated correlative, factorial, and structural relationships between scores for ability emotional intelligence in the workplace (measured with the Geneva Emotional Competence Test), as well as fluid and crystallized abilities (measured with the Intelligence Structure Battery), carried out by a 188-participant student sample. Confirming existing research, recognition, understanding, and management of emotions were related primarily to crystallized ability tests measuring general knowledge, verbal fluency, and knowledge of word meaning. Meanwhile, emotion regulation was the least correlated with any other cognitive or emotional ability. In line with research on the trainability of emotional intelligence, these results may support the notion that emotional abilities are subject to acquired knowledge, where situational (i.e., workplace-specific) emotional intelligence may depend on accumulating relevant experiences.

Board Games on Emotional Competences for School-Age Children

Objective: Emotional competences (EC) are important for social and academic outcomes and positive life trajectories. Due to their social setting and tendency to stimulate intrinsic motivation, board games may constitute efficient learning tools for promoting socioemotional development in children. The current project therefore aimed at developing and testing three theory-driven board games explicitly targeting EC. First, we explored the quality of these EC games in terms of game experience, compared to off-the-shelf games (without an EC focus). Second, we tested whether targeted EC were linked to game experience in the EC games by measuring associations between children's trait EC and subjective effort and difficulty during gameplay. Materials and Methods: Children (N = 177) aged 8-12 years old were randomly assigned to a four-session protocol that comprised EC board games (experimental group) or off-the-shelf board games (control group). At baseline, participants' trait EC (emotion recognition, differentiation, and cognitive reappraisal) were assessed, while game experience (e.g., positive and negative affect, flow and immersion, difficulty, and effort) was assessed after each game. Results: Both groups perceived the games they played as positive and playable. Furthermore, regression analyses showed that higher trait EC was linked to lower self-reported effort and difficulty in two of the EC board games focusing on emotion recognition and differentiation. Conclusion: The present study shows that the board games on EC designed for children seem to elicit game experiences comparable to off-the-shelf games. Moreover, children's trait EC were linked to subjective game experience in two of the three games. Future interventions should examine the potential of the novel games to promote EC.