Citation

Joseph DL, Newman DA. Educ. Psychol. Meas. 2010; 70(4): 672-694.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0013164409355700

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A major stumbling block for emotional intelligence (EI) research has been the lack of adequate evidence for discriminant validity. In a sample of 280 dyads, self- and peer-reports of EI and Big Five personality traits were used to confirm an a priori four-factor model for the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) and a five-factor model for Goldberg’s International Personality Item Pool (IPIP). After demonstrating measurement equivalence between self-report and peer-report for both scales, the authors show discriminant validity between the four EI subfacets and Big Five personality traits. This is accomplished through a series of structural equation models fit to the mutitrait-multimethod matrix. Despite their conclusion of discriminant validity, the authors note strong latent correlations between Others’ Emotion Appraisal and trait Agreeableness (φ = .87), between Use of Emotion and trait Conscientiousness (φ = .73), between Regulation of Emotion and trait Neuroticism (φ = −.66), and between Self Emotion Appraisal and trait Neuroticism (φ = −.66). There is also post hoc evidence of potential leniency in self-reported emotion regulation. Results point to the utility of peer-report methods as well as the relative construct validity of various subfacets of self-reported emotional competence.