Elke Veirman

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 ...

This first chapter starts with a summary of the literature on emotional intelligence and gives an introduction to the empirical studies of this doctoral dissertation. First, the value of emotional intelligence for society and the importance to examine and improve the validity of current maximum performance emotional intelligence measures in childhood and adolescence is explained. Next, a historical view on emotional intelligence research is presented. Then, the theoretical approaches to emotional intelligence are introducted, explaining the difference between mixed and ability models, whereafter the measurement approaches to emotional intelligence are described, discussing the difference between traditional self-report and maximum performance tests. Based on the historical overview of emotional intelligence and the presented theoretical and measurement approaches to emotional intelligence we take position for the ability model approach and favor maximum performance measurement. Afte...

Background Questions have been raised about whether items of alexithymia scales assess the construct alexithymia and its key features, and no other related constructs. This study assessed the (discriminant) content validity of the most widely used alexithymia scale, i.e., the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Methods Participants (n = 81) rated to what extent TAS-20 items and items of related constructs were relevant for assessing the constructs ‘alexithymia’, ‘difficulty identifying feelings’, ‘difficulty describing feelings’, ‘externally-oriented thinking’, ‘limited imaginal capacity’, ‘anxiety’, ‘depression’, and ‘health anxiety’. Results Results revealed that, overall, the TAS-20 did only partly measure ‘alexithymia’. Only the subscales ‘difficulty identifying feelings’ and ‘difficulty describing feelings’ represented ‘alexithymia’ and their intended construct, although some content overlap between these subscales was found. In addition, some items assessed (health) anxiety eq...

Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and often accompanied by cognitive and emotional problems. Adaptation to fibromyalgia may therefore also rely on one's ability to regulate emotional problems. In this study, we examined two indices of emotion regulation, that is, (a) affective instability, involving frequent large fluctuations in self‐reported affect, and (b) resting heart rate variability (HRV).

Introduction: To limit the spread of COVID-19, many countries, including Belgium, have installed physical distancing measures. Yet, adherence to these newly installed behavioral measures has been described as challenging and effortful. Based on the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model, this study performed an in-depth evaluation of when, why, and how people deviated from the physical distancing measures. Methods: An online mixed-method study was conducted among Belgian adults (N = 2055) in the beginning of May 2020. Participants were recruited via an open call through email and social media platforms, using snowball sampling. Conditions wherein people deviated from the physical distancing measures were assessed by means of an open-ended question. HAPA determinants were assessed in a quantitative way. Results: Half of the sample reported to deviate from the measures. Further, deviation from the measures was associated with each determinant outlined by the HAPA. Findings highlight that many people deviated from the measures because of their need for social contact. The majority of the people who deviated from the measures stated that they carefully weighed the risks of their behavior. Conclusions: Need for social contact pushed people to deviate from physical distancing measures in a deliberate manner. Potential areas for future interventions aimed at promoting adherence to physical distancing measures and enhancing psychosocial well-being are discussed.

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic requires massive and rapid behavior change. The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) describes personal determinants that play a key role in behavior change. This study investigated whether these determinants are associated with adherence to physical distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (i.e. keeping 1.5 m physical distance and staying at home). Decreased psychosocial well-being and lack of social support were explored as barriers to adherence. METHODS Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted among adults in Belgium. The first survey (N = 2,379; March 2020) focused on adherence to physical distancing measures. The second survey (N = 805; April 2020) focused on difficulty with, and perseverance in, adhering to these measures. Linear regression models were fitted to examine associations with HAPA determinants, psychosocial well-being, and social support. RESULTS Self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, intention, action planning, and coping planning were related to adhering to, difficulty with, and perseverance in, adhering to physical distancing measures. Decreased psychosocial well-being and lack of social support were related to more difficulties with adhering to physical distancing and lower perseverance. CONCLUSIONS Health action process approach determinants are associated with adherence to physical distancing measures. Future work could design HAPA-based interventions to support people in adhering to these measures.

The Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale for Children (LEAS-C) is a performance-based instrument that assesses emotional awareness in the structure of written responses to a set of real-life scenarios. While it is theoretically expected that emotional awareness develops with age, virtually no age differences have been established with the LEAS-C. The present study investigated whether an adaptation of the instructions and scoring procedure on the basis of the componential emotion approach could improve the validity of the LEAS-C and reveal the theoretically expected age differences. An adapted LEAS-C was administered to a sample of 574 children and adolescents and scored with the original and a new componential scoring procedure. An acceptable reliability for the original and a good reliability and a high interrater reliability for the componential scoring procedure were observed. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses showed measurement invariance of factor loadings and intercepts across children (8 to 12 years) and adolescents (13 to 16 years) for all tested models, for both scoring procedures. A one-factor model fitted well for the total scores and self and other scores for both scoring procedures. The pattern of relationships with alexithymia, emotional intelligence, intelligence, personality, and social and emotional impairment as well as gender differences were comparable with prior research. Furthermore, the expected relationship with age was found, with stronger correlations for the componential than the original scoring procedure. In conclusion, analyses of the reliability, internal structure, and nomological network supported the adaptations of the LEAS-C on the basis of the componential emotion approach. (PsycINFO Database Record

ABSTRACT In this chapter, it is investigated to what extent the psycholinguistic results of the GRID can be generalized to the actual emotional experiences of people. In the present study a sample of adults reported on the most intense emotional episode of the day, freely labeled these episodes with three emotion terms, and then rated to what extent 137 GRID features described their emotional experience. For the 95 most reported terms the average empirical feature profile was computed and analyzed in exactly the same way as the GRID data. A very comparable four-dimensional valence, power, arousal, and novelty structure was identified for the emotional experiences. The results clearly indicate that the findings with the GRID instrument are not only relevant for (psycho)linguistic approaches, but also interesting for the study of actual emotion episodes.

The Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS) is a widely used scenario-based instrument that has been developed for the measurement of emotional awareness in adults. Although the LEAS has been validated in numerous studies, published validity research on the recently developed child version (LEAS-C) is scarce. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the construct validity of the Dutch LEAS-C in a sample of 318 children, aged 10 to 17 years. Outcomes revealed novel structural evidence in favor of alternative design-driven modeling. Further, the pattern of relationships with ability- and trait-oriented emotional intelligence, intelligence, personality, social and emotional impairment, and gender was generally consistent with previous theorizing and adult studies on the LEAS. Reasons for absence of age differences are discussed. In conclusion, this study corroborates the construct validity of the LEAS-C and highlights the importance of fully exploring the LEAS-C in its pot...

Recent research has claimed that a novelty dimension is needed to represent the cognitive emotion structure over and above valence, power and arousal. Novelty emerged when student samples evaluated the meaning of 24 emotion terms on 142 emotion features. This claim is debatable, however, because to date novelty has never been found in similarity sorting studies. It is possible that novelty emerged because sophisticated student samples evaluated emotion terms on emotion features. The current research identified a large, representative set of emotion terms using a free-listing task in a middle childhood up to early adulthood sample (N = 5071). Children, adolescents, students and adults (N = 1184) then evaluated the similarity between these emotion terms using a similarity rating task without priming any emotion feature. Novelty robustly emerged as the fourth dimension. The existence of novelty is thus confirmed with a different method across a wide variety of participants.

ABSTRACT The GRID instrument is the first instrument to identify novelty as a separate dimension in the emotion domain. The question is whether the emergence of this dimension is a method artifact due to an unintended overrepresentation of novelty features or a genuine dimension in the cognitive representation in the meaning of emotion terms. In the latter case it should also be possible to identify a novelty dimension with other assessment methods. In the present chapter, it is investigated whether similarity ratings between prototypical emotion terms, where respondents can freely choose on which basis they evaluate the similarity between terms, also reveals a novelty dimension. A students sample evaluated the pairwise similarities between 85 emotion terms. A multidimensional scaling of these terms indeed revealed a four-dimensional structure with surprise terms scoring very high on the fourth dimension. Novelty can thus be considered as a genuine dimension in the emotion domain.