Predicting Relationship Success from Measures of Emotional Intelligence

1. Predicting Relationship Success from Measures of Emotional Intelligence Monica Beisecker, Justin Lolofie & Kim Barchard University of Nevada, Las Vegas

2. Measures of Emotional Intelligence • What is Emotional Intelligence? • Maximum-performance Mayer, Salovey & Caruso, 2002; O’Sullivan & Guilford, 1976 • Self-report Bagby, Taylor & Parker, 1994; Bar-On, 1997; Schutte et al, 1998

3. Relationship Success Relationships that are: • The relationship is described in positive terms. • Use of prosocial methods of dealing with conflict.

4. Previous Research • Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test/ mp (MSCEIT; Mayer et al, 2002) Women had higher scores on subscales than men. • EQi/sr (Bar-On, 1997) Differences were not consistent. • (Beisecker & Barchard, 2003) On Maximum-performance women had slightly higher scores then did men.

5. Do Sex differences imply test bias? • A priori knowledge of no differences on a dimension, then a sex difference would indicate bias. • Real differences should also indicate differences in scores on tests. • Test bias and test fairness are not equal.

6. Approaches to Assessing Test Bias • Comparing regression equations in the prediction of a particular criterion. • Same = The use of single regression equation for both sexes will be unbiased. • Cleary Model, 1968. Intercept and Slope Bias.

7. This study • Are Emotional Intelligence measures biased predictors of Relationship Success? • Relationship Success and Emotional Intelligence are related (Goleman, 1995, 1998). • Emotional Intelligence predicting quality of interpersonal relationship (Lopes, Salovey & Straus, 2003).

8. Methods Participants • 416 undergraduate students (283 female). • Ages 18-65 (mean 20.5) • Participants received course credit.

9. Measures Used of Emotional Intelligence • 16 measures of Emotional Intelligence. • O’Sullivan & Guilford Tests (1975, 1976). Expression grouping, Cartoon Predictions, Missing Cartoons, Social Translation. • Tett’s Self-report Questionnaire (Tett et al, 1997, 2003).

10. Measures of Relationship Success Used • 15 Measures of Relationship Success were used. • Best Friend Questionnaire (BFQ; Barchard, 2001.) • Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2; Straus et al., 1996)

11. Results Intercept Bias • Single regression lines are biased against men when predicting positive descriptives. • Women are more psychologically aggressive. (The same 3 measures of relationship success with intercept bias are exactly those that showed significant sex differences to begin with.) This suggests that sex differences in RS cannot be accounted for by sex differences in EI. Slope Bias • There was likely no slope bias in any of the measures of Emotional Intelligence.

12. Conclusions • Relationship between Relationship Success and Emotional Intelligence. O’sullivan & Guilford – no Tett’s – yes • Intercept Bias – sex differences in relationship success must be accounted for by additional variables with Emotional Intelligence. • Lack of Slope bias – relationship between RS and EI does not depend upon sex alone.