1

CHAPTER ONE
ORIENTATION
1.1 BACKGROUND
Emotional intelligence has grown in popularity with theorists and practitioners alike who
recognise the possibilities of such a concept in broadening the understanding of human
potential.

Traditionally, a persons abilities, accomplishments and successes were

predicted solely on verbal and performance-based tasks, known as general intelligence.

This, according to Gardner (1999:19-21) was a restricted view of the scope of human
potential. He argued that the assessment of intellect based solely on academic tasks is
very limiting, as the brain has the ability to harbour an indefinite number of intellectual
capacities. It is a persons culture as well as his life opportunities that usually determine
the exposure and development of particular capabilities within the individual. Although
other researchers have attempted to broaden the concept of intelligence, it was Gardner
(1999:41-43) who developed the concept of multiple intelligences. He included seven
key areas: verbal, mathematical-logical, spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, musical and finally
the two personal intelligences: intrapersonal and interpersonal. This broadened view of
intelligence has resulted in a greater admiration for a variety of abilities and skills within
the human realm.
Emotional Intelligence can possibly be regarded as a combination of intrapersonal and
interpersonal intelligences.

However, in a society which regards emotions as

disorganised interruptions to mental activity, it is not surprising that Salovey and Mayer
begin an article on emotional intelligence by asking whether the concept emotional
intelligence is merely a contradiction in terms (Salovey, Brackett, Mayer 2004: 2).
Emotional Intelligence, as a relatively new construct, is still evolving: conceptual
vagueness results in uncertainty regarding its possibilities.

Theorists such as Pfeiffer

(2001:138) refer to emotional intelligence as a popular but elusive construct. Zeider,

Roberts and Matthews (2001: 265) exclaim, slow down you move too fast, referring to
the limited scientific investigation in this fledgling field.

The scope of this dissertation is to examine the concept of emotional intelligence as

defined by Mayer & Salovey (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10). The Mayer & Salovey model
(Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10) regards emotions as mental abilities, skills or capabilities
which play a critical role in reasoning.

This conceptualisation aims at recognising

emotions as a distinct intelligence and not a set of personality traits or social skills. This
model holds much potential in cementing the concept of emotional intelligence as a
theoretically sound construct which can stand up to scientific scrutiny.
Mayer and Salovey are credited with first coining the term emotional intelligence
(Pfeiffer 2001:138) and form the focus of this dissertation. The Mayer & Salovey model
of emotional intelligence (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10) details a set of specific skills, which
are hierarchically arranged. An understanding of these skills allows practitioners, such as
educational psychologists, to come to grips with a concept which is often regarded as
vague and indistinguishable, and this allows for accessibility to practice.

Pennington

(2002:4) discusses the role of counselling centres as being emotional remediators

rather than developers. The development of emotional intelligence skills in children has
the potential to act as a preventative measure allowing for greater personal and mental
accomplishment.

Goldsworthy (2000:44) stresses the importance of emotional

intelligence programmes and refers to it as malleable, that is, capable of growth over a
life span. Emotional intelligence is therefore a dynamic process that can be developed in
the individual.
The aim of this dissertation is to elaborate on an ability-based model of emotional
intelligence, as formulated by Mayer and Salovey. Based on the knowledge gained from
this investigation, the researcher aims to develop a performance-based assessment tool
which can be used on children in middle childhood. The assessment tool will, at this
stage, provide qualitative information regarding the emotional intelligence of the children
assessed.

The success of the assessment tool in accurately measuring emotional

intelligence in children will determine whether the assessment could be further developed
and standardised. Pellitteri (2002:11) comments that future research projects should
focus on the development of instruments that measure the emotional development and
emotional intelligence of children.

The previous section has aimed at providing a brief overview of the relevance of the term
emotional intelligence and the researchers focus within this research project.

The

following section aims at extending the rationale for this research project by considering
the researchers awareness and interest in the topic as well as explaining the specific
research question that will be investigated. Reference will be made to relevant research
material which will assist the researcher.

1.2 ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM

1.2.1

Awareness of the problem

The researchers interest in emotional intelligence began while reading Golemans book
Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. (1996). Although his book
describes the popularised view of emotional intelligence, its importance possibly lies in its
ability to change peoples perceptions regarding the role of emotions. Previously, the
researcher was of the opinion that the emotional domain tended to be the more
irrational, volatile characteristic of an individual.

Emotional involvement in decision-

making was therefore regarded as a flaw rather than an asset and that successful people
should be able to ignore their emotions and give priority to logic and reason while making
rational decisions.
After reading Golemans (1996) book, the researcher became more aware of her own
emotional intelligence. Emotional availability was no longer regarded as an outpouring of
emotions in an uncontrolled, impulsive manner. Rather it was regarded as an ability to
recognise and suitably control emotions, to correctly read and understand the emotional
repertoire of others in making use of emotions that aid decision-making and to deepen
relationships with others through better emotional contact. The researcher started to
realise that by harnessing ones emotions, one can be more effective within ones daily
life.

The researcher was fortunate enough to attend an international conference entitled

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership (2002: Durban). Peter Salovey was one of the
keynote speakers.

Salovey (EQ Conference: 2002) emphasised in his address that

emotions are adaptive, functional, able to organise thinking and subsequent behaviour
and therefore help to focus us on what we need to do. Many of the speakers (Orioli
2002; Gerry 2002) spoke about EQ programmes developed in business and schools
respectively, and the better functioning and productivity of both workers and children
once their emotional competence had improved. This EQ Conference made the
researcher aware of the international trend towards developing emotional literacy in
schools, businesses, families and communities.
The researchers exposure to the concept of emotional intelligence and the positive
indications regarding the effects of emotional intelligence on human functioning made it a
topic worth pursuing further. At the EQ Conference it was also emphasised that because
emotional intelligence is a relatively new concept, much research is still needed to
determine its relevance to the field of psychology, and that all research contributions
would increase acceptability and understanding of such a term. The researcher decided
that a greater understanding of the concept of emotional intelligence would have both
professional and personal benefits.
1.2.2

Investigation and statement of the problem

Steiner (1993:3) comments that emotions are capable of empowering one if one takes
notice of them and allows them to guide ones judgement. A clear understanding of
emotional intelligence therefore allows one to recognise its empowering ability. While
investigating the literature, it became apparent that two models exist for emotional
intelligence (Cobb & Mayer 2000:15.) The popularised view of emotional intelligence as
proposed by Goleman (1996) is referred to as the mixed model, as emotional
intelligence is grouped together with social competencies, traits and behaviours. The
second model is referred to as the ability model and defines emotional intelligence as a
set of abilities that provide relevant information to aid reasoning.

Salovey and Mayer have connected emotional competencies to cognitive components,

explaining the role that emotions can play in reasoning. It is the cognitive, ability-based
view of emotional intelligence that will be the focus of this dissertation.

The model

proposed by Mayer and Salovey, (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10) will be explained in detail
and will form the basis of the assessment tool developed by the researcher.
Most of the literature regarding assessment tools focuses on self-report scales such as
the BarOn EQ-i (Bar-On & Parker 2000 321) developed by Bar-On as well as abilitybased assessment tools such as Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS) (Bar-On
& Parker 2000 321), which was developed by Mayer and Salovey. The assessment of
emotional intelligence has been criticised by many theorists who are not confident that
such assessments stand up to scientific scrutiny.

Schutte and Malouff (1999:13)

comment that a number of scales assess what may be components of emotional

intelligence and a few scales attempt to measure global emotional intelligence. Pfeiffer
(2001:138-141) asserts that emotional intelligence assessment tools tend to lack
scientifically objective measures. This dissertation does not aspire to the challenge of
developing a scientifically reliable assessment tool for emotional intelligence. It does,
however, aim at developing a qualitative assessment tool which is able to increase the
knowledge and insight regarding the development of emotional intelligence in children
information which could be valuable for an educational psychologist in understanding a
child client.
The statement of the problem refers to the particular issue that this research project will
explore. The problem needs to be specific and limited to ensure that the researcher can
provide an in-depth analysis of the issue.

The above information has guided the

researchers formulation of the statement of the problem for this dissertation.

The following informal questions can be asked while attempting to delineate the topic:

What are the components of the ability-based model in emotional intelligence, and
what are the practical applications of these components?

What will be the best method to assess children for emotional intelligence?

Can the tasks devised provide valuable information regarding the emotional
intelligence of a child?

What emotional understanding can be expected from children in middle childhood?

What would the benefit be of assessing childrens emotional intelligence, and how
could this information be harnessed to assist the childs performance?

What is the role of an educational psychologist, and would the information gained
from an emotional intelligence assessment be useful in the therapeutic process?

Based on the above-mentioned questions, the researcher will explore the following
research question:

Can a performance-based assessment, designed by the researcher, provide

valuable information to an educational psychologist with regards to the emotional
intelligence of a client in middle childhood?

The following section will outline the general and specific aims of this research study.
The aims will help to focus the research study, making it easier to effectively answer the
research question that has been proposed.

1.3 AIMS OF THE RESEARCH

The aims are divided into general and specific aims.

The general aims, which will

provide the focus of the theoretical aspect of the research project, will be discussed
first. The theoretical component aims at providing an in-depth background of the topic
being discussed.

The specific aims, which refer to the empirical research to be

conducted, include the practical applications of this dissertation.

1.3.1 General Aims : Literature study
The general aims of this dissertation are to:

Establish an understanding of emotions and intelligence as two independent

constructs.

Establish the concept of emotional intelligence using the ability model as proposed
by Mayer and Salovey (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10).

Establish a clear understanding of the specific components of emotional intelligence

using the ability model.

Establish an understanding of the development of emotions in children with an

emphasis on middle childhood.

Explore the issues associated with assessing emotional intelligence.

Explore the value of emotional intelligence by considering it as a separate construct

as well as taking into account its predictive ability. This will validate the importance
of developing emotional intelligence in children.

Explore the developmental aspects of emotional understanding in children. This will

assist the researcher when designing the assessment tool as part of the empirical
research project.

Consider the role of the educational psychologist and determine whether a

qualitative assessment tool would be valuable to the therapeutic process.

1.3.2 Specific Aims : An Empirical Study

The specific aims are to:

Establish whether an assessment tool can be devised that incorporates the various
aspects of emotional intelligence.

Establish whether a group of children can be assessed using the assessment tool,
and whether the information provided will be relevant and insightful to the
understanding of a childs emotional intelligence.

Establish whether the information gained from the assessment has any correlation
with the information received from a parent interview.

Establish whether the information gained would be relevant and informative to an

educational psychologist.

1.4 RESEARCH METHOD

The research procedure used in this dissertation is regarded as a qualitative research
design.

Leedy (1997:106) provides a list of the characteristics for qualitative research

which includes describing and explaining, exploring and interpreting and tends to be
process-orientated.

It is an informative design, usually with a small sample group,

making use of observations and interviews.

Qualitative research reflects a personal

point of view and follows flexible guidelines. Inductive analysis is emphasised, as ideas
and solutions can be generated from the research conducted.
There are two parts to the collection of qualitative information in this research project.
Firstly, the researcher will be involved in a literature study. The literature study will
increase the researchers understanding of the following:

A definition of emotions and their role.

A definition of the concept of intelligence.

Emotional intelligence as an ability-based construct, and a discussion of the

various components which comprise this construct.

A developmental understanding of childrens emotional intelligence.

The role of the educational psychologist and the practical relevance of a construct
such as emotional intelligence.

The predictive elements of emotional intelligence in determining life success.

The second part of the data collection process will be an empirical research project
which aims at implementing the following procedure:

The researcher will design a performance-based assessment tool which will

provide qualitative information regarding the emotional intelligence of children in
middle childhood.

A group of educational psychologists will be given a copy of the assessment tool

together with a set of questions to answer. The responses from the educational

psychologists will be used to make modifications to the assessment tool before it

is used on a sample group of children.

A small group of children will be assessed by means of the assessment tool.

The researcher intends to make use of a limited sample group which will be
differentiated by age and gender. The results of each case will be presented in
varying detail and comparative interpretations will also be made.

Before a child is assessed, one parent will be asked to attend a structured

interview. The researcher will formulate specific questions which explore the
emotional intelligence demonstrated by the child in an informal environment.

The data collection procedures will include observation of the child during the
assessment and the tape recording of the childs responses to the tasks
presented in the assessment process. These responses will then be transcribed
and interpreted.

In order for the dissertation to remain focused, and to provide an in-depth analysis of
certain concepts, the next section aims at limiting the issues included in this
dissertation.

1.5 DEMARCATION OF THE TERRAIN

It is important for this dissertation to limit its focus to the following concepts listed
below:

The concept of emotional intelligence with specific reference to the components

included in the ability model.

The development of an assessment tool to evaluate emotional intelligence.

The

designed assessment will be suitable for children in middle childhood (8-11 years of
age) and will be particularly suitable for English-speaking children.

The assessment will be used by an educational psychologist to assess the emotional

intelligence of children, with a view to providing therapeutic assistance to improve
the childs coping strategies.

The assessment will not provide a standardised score, but will provide qualitative
information regarding each testee.

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The next section will define important terms that are included in the title of this
dissertation so that the reader has a clear understanding of these relevant terms.

1.6 CLARIFICATION OF THE CONCEPTS

The following terms will be explained briefly at this stage and explored more thoroughly
in the literature study. The terms to be clarified are:

Emotional Intelligence

A performance-based assessment tool

Middle childhood

1.6.1 Emotional intelligence

Salovey

and

Mayers

definition

(Salovey

&

Sluyter

1997:10)

comprehensive, and will be accepted in this research dissertation.

is

the

most

Their definition

consists of four components:

The ability to perceive, appraise and express emotions accurately.

The ability to utilise emotional information to facilitate thought.

The ability to understand emotional information.

The ability to regulate emotions in order for emotions to aid our daily living.

The following abbreviations denote emotional intelligence: EI (Emotional Intelligence)

or EQ (Emotional Quotient.) Emotional Intelligence is also referred to as emotional
literacy by certain researchers such as Steiner (1999:11).
1.6.2

Performance-based assessment tool

According to Mayer and Salovey (Bar-On & Parker 2000 325) a performance-based
assessment tool expects testees to actively partake in activities and tasks which
demonstrate their skills and abilities. Instead of asking testees to report on their
perceived view of their own emotional intelligence, they are asked to solve problems.
This assesses the quality of their emotional reasoning.

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1.6.3

Middle childhood

Louw (1991:311) distinguishes middle childhood as between the sixth and twelth year
of life, regarded by Freud as a period of psychosexual latency. Erikson refers to it as
the period of industry versus inferiority.

The assessment tool designed by the

researcher does not cover the entire period of middle childhood, but focuses on
children between the ages of 8 and 11 years of age.

1.7 RESEARCH PROGRAMME

A brief summary of each chapter now follows to set out the procedure of this
dissertation.
In Chapter One, the purpose and relevance of the study was clarified. It presented
the research problem as well as how the researcher intends to deal with the problem.
Chapter Two will involve an in-depth literature study. This will focus on the concept
of emotional intelligence, with specific reference to the ability-based model.

The

assessment of emotional intelligence (EI) will be discussed as a precursor to the design

of an EI assessment tool. A brief summary of the emotional development of children
will be included as well as the role of the educational psychologist in the therapeutic
environment.
Chapter Three will discuss further the research design that will be implemented in the
empirical research section of this dissertation. Aspects such as data analysis methods,
measuring instruments and sampling procedures will be detailed. Once the empirical
research has been conducted, the results of the study will be discussed in detail. The
interpretations of the testees results will be discussed in detail. A summary of the
psychologists feedback and the parental interviews will also be included.

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Chapter Four will summarise the findings of the study. It will achieve this by referring
back to the initial research question presented in Chapter One and providing insight
into the research projects exploration of this question. It will consider the limitations of
the research project and outline possibilities for further research.

1.8 SUMMARY
The purpose and outline of the proposed research project has been detailed in this
chapter. It has provided a brief overview of the concept of emotional intelligence as
well as the relevance of such a topic. The chapter which follows aims to expand the
concept further, using a literature study.

A clear understanding of emotional

intelligence will provide the researcher with the necessary theoretical understanding
before the assessment tool is developed and implemented.

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CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE STUDY
UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
2.1 INTRODUCTION
This literature study aims at exploring the concept of emotional intelligence.
Perceptions of these two words, emotions and intelligence, have evolved over time.
Traditionally, emotions were regarded as an irrational, disruptive force and intelligence
comprised a very narrow set of skills which guided rational thought. The aim of this
literature study is to discuss emotions and intelligence individually, and to provide an
enlightened understanding of these two terms as the basis for describing emotional
intelligence.

This literature study will focus on an ability-based model of emotional

intelligence, as advocated by Mayer and Salovey (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10).

The empirical research component of this dissertation aims at designing and

implementing an assessment tool for emotional intelligence. It is therefore relevant to
the literature study to focus on the issues associated with measuring emotional
intelligence.

As the assessment tool is designed specifically for children in middle

childhood, the literature study will include a summary of possible expectations of the
emotional development of children in this age group. This will ensure that developmental
aspects are considered in the design and implementation of the assessment tool.

The relevance of emotional intelligence will be explored by discussing its ability to remain
a separate construct, related to, but not the same as, other forms of intelligence. The
discussion will also briefly explore the ability of emotional intelligence to predict future life
successes.

As the assessment tool aims at providing information to the educational

psychologist, the literature review will briefly outline the role of the educational
psychologist and the possibility of incorporating emotional intelligence into therapeutic
practice.

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2.2 DEFINING THE CONCEPT OF EMOTION

2.2.1

The purpose of emotions

Emotions are internal processes, possessing a distinctive, individual quality. Because of

this, emotions can be an elusive concept to define.

However, apart from our ability to

reason, it is our ability to experience emotions which makes us distinctly human.

Emotions connect us to others, they are an integral part of who we are and when
harnessed correctly they can help us cope better with the outside world.
An investigation of the word emotion provides insight into its purpose. The root of the
word emotion is motere, the Latin verb to move. The prefix e indicates to move
away. Therefore the tendency to act is implicit in every emotion (Goleman 1996:6).
The notion that emotion leads to action is confirmed by the physiological reaction that
occurs when an emotion is experienced. Emotions are mediated by the limbic system
and the involuntary autonomic nervous system resulting in a variety of bodily sensations
which often result in action. Neuroscience has determined that different emotions evoke
different reactions and will therefore result in different responses. When one is angry,
the blood flow rushes to the hands, making it easier to strike out physically. In addition,
adrenaline rushes through our bodies, resulting in increased strength and ones heart rate
increases too (Goleman 1996:7). On the other hand, an emotion such as surprise results
in the lifting of the eyebrows, allowing for a larger visual sweep and permitting more light
into the retina.

This ensures more incoming visual information with regards to the

unexpected event (Goleman 1996:7). Emotions are therefore active and dynamic and
lead to a response.
Emotions can be regarded as the bodys energy source, because they motivate one to
respond to situations. Bourne (2000:260) discusses the importance of being in touch
with ones emotions in order to mobilise and drive oneself. The suppression of emotions
usually results in lethargy, numbness and tiredness, which in turn can result in depression
and/or anxiety. Vermeulen in a lecture EQ for everyone (International Conference on
Emotional Intelligence and Leadership: 2002) commented that the energy received from

15

emotions helps to direct, protect or guide one.

Emotions are messengers which

provide one with information about the outside world. Vermeulen (2002) emphasises the
importance of listening and responding to these emotional messengers.
2.2.2

The functionalist perspective

The notion that emotions are messengers, providing one with information which is able to
direct action, can be regarded as a functionalist perspective. According to functionalist
theory (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:170) emotions have three components, and an
awareness of these can ensure that emotional information is better harnessed to aid
action (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:170). The first component is the cognitive-experiential,
which refers to our thoughts and awareness of emotional states.

A willingness to

recognise and understand emotional information is necessary if emotions are to act as

messengers. The second component is behavioural-expressive, referring to the visible
signs of emotion such as tone of voice, body language and facial expression.

The

recognition of verbal and non-verbal emotional information allows for better

interpretation of emotions.

The final component is physiological-biochemical, which

refers to physical states such as heart rate, skin response and hormone levels which
accompany emotional states.

These physiological signs aid the correct recognition of

emotions and better enable one to respond appropriately.

In accepting the functionalist perspective, it follows that emotions can no longer be
regarded as unnecessary hindrances to logical thinking. Emotions can rather be regarded
as assisting reasoning and action by providing important internal and external information
to the individual.

Emotions not only aid thinking but form such an integral part of

executive functioning, that they may be considered a separate form of intelligence

(Salovey & Sluyter 1997:9). Neuroscience substantiates this claim by viewing emotions
as inherited programmes for action in specific situations (Mayne & Bonanno 2001:38).
2.2.3

Results from neuroscience

16

The evidence from neuroscience (Mayne & Bonanno 2001:60) suggests that there is a
distinction between automatic and controlled emotional processing and that each type of
processing may be carried out by separate neural systems (Mayne & Bonanno 2001:42).
The amygdala, an area of the brain within the temporal lobe (Tyson 1987: 42), can best
described as a primary appraisal system, able to look for significant information from the
environment (Mayne & Bonanno 2001:40).

The amygdala rapidly detects potential

threats or possible rewards and this precipitates immediate action (Mayne & Bonanno
2001:40). The function of these automatic responses is to act as a warning or signal
system; the amygdala can however only carry a small portion of sensory images and can
therefore act only as a rough signalling system, unable to process all incoming
information (Goleman 1996:23).
It is the prefrontal cortex, which Goleman (1996:24) calls the emotional manager
because of its role in controlling emotion and overriding emotional impulses, that could
be regarded as intelligent. Intelligence is a goal-directed mental activity that is marked
by efficient problem solving, critical thinking and effective abstract reasoning (Pfeiffer
2001:138).

This controlled emotional processing influences both the generation and

regulation of emotion (Mayne & Bonanno 2001:62).

Each time that an emotion is

inhibited, labelled or reappraised, the processing systems are altered as are the
proceeding responses (Mayne and Bonanno 2001:62).

This can be regarded as

intelligent as it is a conscious, directed, effort-demanding process (Mayne and Bonanno

2001 40).
The importance of the prefrontal lobe can be explained in various studies conducted on
patients who have sustained frontal lobe injuries. Although these patients intellectual
ability does not seem affected, they are usually highly distractible, lack foresight, are
unable to plan, organise and take initiative and suffer from impaired social judgement. In
addition they tend to focus on frivolous, unnecessary aspects of a problem, are impulsive
and suffer from a low frustration tolerance (Tyson, 1987:50).

17

Based on the above conceptualisation, emotions can be regarded as assisting the

individual to access relevant internal or external information and in so doing respond to
ones environment in a more informed, organised manner. The following section explains
the concept of intelligence and details the specific criteria which result in a concept being
considered as a form of intelligence.

2.3 THE CONCEPT OF INTELLIGENCE

2.3.1

Defining intelligence

Gardner (1999:1) indicates that the concept of intelligence has evolved over time. It has
often been dependent on what a particular culture has instilled or what has been valued
during a particular era in history. For instance, in past centuries an intelligent person was
one who could master classical languages; whereas the new millennium values the
symbol analyst, the ability to gain meaning from a set of symbols displayed on a
computer screen (Gardner 1999:2). According to Gardner (1999:34), intelligences are
not something that can be counted but rather potentials that are developed, depending
on cultural emphasis and ones personal decisions. This conception of intelligence cannot
be regarded as fixed but rather as dynamic, changing over time, and based on the needs
of the society.
Although the aspects included in intelligence may vary, the function of intelligence
remains constant.
(Pfeiffer 2001:138).

Intelligence is associated with adaptation within our environment

An intelligent person is better able to process, anticipate and

interpret the environment making adaptation possible.

2.3.2

Criteria for intelligence

Although Gardner (1999:34) speaks of the many potentials that a person can possess
which can be considered as intelligences, scientific rigour insists that certain criteria must
be met for a concept to be considered as a form of intelligence. For example, Pfeiffer
(2001:139) reaffirms that for emotional intelligence to be regarded as a form of
intelligence, it must fulfil certain criteria which are listed below:

18

An ability to define the type of intelligence.

A means of measuring the intelligence.

The ability to document its partial or complete independence from other known
intelligences.

An ability to demonstrate that it predicts some real world criteria.

Based on these four criteria, the concept of emotional intelligence will now be
discussed in further detail.

2.4 DEFINING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotions can be regarded as an evolved signal system, where each particular
emotion denotes a relationship with oneself or with the outside world. Cobb and Mayer
(2000:14) explain that this view of emotional intelligence is based on the ability model,
where emotions are signals about relationships. Emotions are thus regarded as a set
of abilities enabling one to better extract relevant information from the environment
and assist in reasoning and problem solving. An ability can be operationalised, which
is critical if emotions are to qualify as a standard form of intelligence (Mayer, Perkins,
Caruso and Salovey 2001:133). Operationalising requires that the ability can be broken
down into a set of specific skills used for completing a task (Lewis & Haviland-Jones
2000: 509).
Mayer and Saloveys definition of emotional intelligence (Barrett & Salovey 2002:2)
follows the ability model and will form the basis of this dissertation.

The Mayer &

Salovey model emphasises four cognitive components with an emphasis on the role
that emotions play in aiding reasoning. Their model involves four tiers of abilities that
range from basic psychological processes to more complex processes.
branches are (Salovey & Sluyter 1997: 10):

The ability to perceive accurately, appraise and express emotion.

The ability to access and/or generate feelings when they facilitate thought.

The four

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The ability to understand emotion and emotional knowledge.

The ability to regulate emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth.

Van der Zee, Thijs and Schakel (2002:104) consider two important distinctions
underlying the Mayer & Salovey model of emotional intelligence (Salovey & Sluyter
1997:10).

Firstly, the definition distinguishes between cognitive processes and

behavioural processes.

Cognitive processes include perception and appraisal of

emotions, emotional facilitation of thinking and the analysis and understanding of

emotional information.

Behavioural components include the expression of emotions

and employment of strategies to regulate emotions. The second distinction involves

the intrapersonal versus the interpersonal role of emotions.
Another significant feature of the Mayer & Salovey model which is accentuated by
Mayer, Perkins, Caruso and Salovey (2001:133), is the consideration that a mental
ability must develop with age.

The skills included in each component are

developmentally arranged, from the earliest developing skills placed on the left through
to the skill requiring a more integrated adult personality placed on the far right. Please
refer to Appendix A for a tabulated representation of the four branches as presented by
Mayer and Salovey (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10).
A clear understanding of these four theoretical branches will assist the researcher in
devising an assessment tool based on the Mayer & Salovey model (Salovey & Sluyter
1997:10). A detailed explanation of each component is discussed below.
2.4.1

Perception, appraisal and expression of emotion

Being able to perceive, appraise and express emotions is the most basic but also the
most essential component of emotional intelligence. Barrett and Salovey (2002:239)
explain that social interactions and relationships are guided, and possibly defined, by
emotional transactions which require the correct perception, appraisal and expression
of emotions.

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The first consideration involves the ability to inwardly identify and understand
emotional information. Bernet (1996:2) distinguishes between the terms feeling and
emotion when discussing internal emotional states. All events trigger a physiological
response within ones body, which in turn results in a feeling, such as a racing heart,
loss in lung capacity or the production of adrenaline by the kidneys. These reactions
are a natural, physiological process, which are out of our control. Feelings are a signal
departure from homeostasis which prompts action. When these feelings are identified
and interpreted on any level of consciousness, the process then becomes an emotion.
Emotions are conscious and deliberate, and perception of inner emotional states
requires that one tunes into internal systems to identify and manage physiological
feelings as conscious emotions.
Emotional perception also involves the identification of the emotions experienced by
others.

This involves awareness of external signals from the environment which

include non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, tone of voice and gesture (Goleman
1996:96). Mayer and Salovey (Salovey, Brackett & Mayer 2004:36) extend external
emotional perception to encompass aspects such as artwork, sound and architecture.
The rationale for this is that the emotionally aware individual will be continually in tune
with the emotional information available in the environment.
The expression of emotions enables the individual to communicate inner states with the
outside world. The labelling of emotions requires language ability. The acquisition of
language serves the childs behaviour and emotional control in at least three ways
(Salovey & Sluyter 1997:105). Firstly, it serves the executive function of mediating
between intention or desire and behavioural action. It also ensures that one is able to
communicate internal states to others.

Thirdly, language allows for conscious

awareness of how one is feeling. The expression of emotional content improves both
intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships.
The appraisal of emotions is the final component included in this first tier. It involves
the ability to differentiate between accurate and inaccurate, honest and dishonest
expressions of feelings. In order to correctly appraise emotions, the individual needs to

21

make use of the skills which have been previously discussed, such as recognising
physiological signs, interpreting non-verbal cues and understanding emotional
language.
The second component, as discussed by Mayer and Salovey (Salovey & Sluyter
1997:10), involves the individuals ability to make use of the information gained from
feelings, to aid thinking. This concept will now be discussed in further detail.
2.4.2

Emotional facilitation of thinking

Mayer and Salovey (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso & Sitarenios 2001: 234) make a distinction
between this second branch and the other three. The other components involve the
reasoning of emotions, whereas this component involves using emotions to aid
reasoning.
Emotions are adaptive, functional and have the potential to organise thinking and
subsequent behaviour. Pellitteri (2002:184) explains the importance of being able to
access emotions and assimilate our emotions into judgement and problem solving.
Emotions act as a signalling system, but in order that this emotional information is
effectively and appropriately employed by the individual, these signals need to be
analysed, assimilated and utilised by the more consciously controlled, cognitive areas of
the brain such as the cortex. The emotional facilitation of thinking involves the ability
to harness the motivating properties of affect to guide thinking and subsequently
influence action (Barrett & Salovey 2002:2).
Firstly, emotions are able to prioritise thinking by directing attention to important
information. People automatically appraise salient aspects of their environment to aid
judgement by asking themselves, how do I feel about this?

However, the

discriminating effects of feelings to aid judgements and decisions requires an ability to

determine when these feelings are appropriate and useful to the decision making
process. (Barrett & Salovey 2002:92)

22

A second contribution of emotions to thinking is the ability to generate feelings on

demand, thereby allowing a better understanding of a particular situation (Salovey,
Brackett, Mayer 2004:38). By anticipating the results of a particular situation one is
better able to think and plan ahead.

The emotions associated with starting a new

school, encountering a social criticism or changing jobs should be taken into account
prior to making such a decision.

Mayer and Salovey (Salovey, Brackett, Mayer

2004:38) refer to this as an emotional theatre of the mind whereby emotions can be
generated, felt, manipulated and examined in order to be better understood. The more
accurately this theatre operates, the more it is able to assist the individual in choosing
alternative life courses.
The next ability explains how emotionality has the ability to help people consider
multiple perspectives. Parrott (2001:199) discusses a study conducted by Forgas and
Bower (1987) where a good or bad mood was induced in participants who were then
asked to complete a person perception task. The participants moods affected how
they read the sentences given to them, the impressions formed about the characters,
and later their memory about the characters. The participants who were in a good
mood formed more favourable impressions of the characters. This illustrates that ones
mood influences ones point of view and enables one to consider a decision from
different points of view based on such mood fluctuations.
Emotions are also able to influence ones reasoning styles. Typically, people in socalled good moods adopt a quick, heuristic approach to problem solving (inductive
reasoning) whereas people in negative moods adopt a more methodical, systematic
and analytical approach to solving problems (deductive reasoning) (Parrott 2001:200).
The understanding that reasoning is affected by mood assists the individual in
recognising that emotions are often the catalyst to our particular reasoning ability, and
that reasoning is not fixed but dependent on fluctuating moods.
The next component of emotional intelligence, as discussed in the Mayer and Salovey
model (Salovey and Sluyter, 1997:10), is an individuals ability to understand the
complex nature of emotions. Barrett and Salovey (2002;271) indicate that emotions

23

can only be put to use if emotional responses are consciously experienced, attended to
and reflected upon. The next section discussed the complex nature of emotions in
more detail.
2.4.3

Understanding and analysing emotions: employing emotional

knowledge

Salovey and Mayer (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:13) discuss that in order to understand the
complexity of emotions, one must be able to differentiate between similar emotions
and then accurately express those feelings. Steiner (1999:41) explains that we often
have several feelings at once. Some of these feelings are strong and obvious, while
others are weak and hidden.

Differentiation of feelings involves recognising the

variance in intensity between irritation and hatred, or affection and passion and then
acting accordingly.
The next skill involves the ability to connect emotions to particular situations because
this results in a better understanding of emotional information. Mayer and Salovey
(Salovey, Brackett and Mayer 2004:39) discuss how emotions are best explained to
children within a context. The girl who is sad is aided in recognising that the sadness is
connected to her best friend not wanting to spend time with her anymore. Emotions
are aimless if they are not related to situations which in turn increase their relevance.
There is a certain amount of consensus connecting emotions to certain situations.
Anger arises from the perception of injustice, sadness arises from loss, and fear from
threat (Salovey & Sluyter 1997: 13).
The complexity of emotions continues into the third skill, which involves the ability to
recognise simultaneous emotions.

An individual can often experience a range of

conflicting emotions towards the same situation. For example, passing a school grade
may demonstrate competence and result in satisfaction with the achievement but
simultaneously arouse anxiety regarding the forthcoming challenges.

Emotional

information can also be experienced as a blend of different emotions.

Bourne

(2000:260) distinguishes between simple feelings and complex feelings.

Simple

feelings include anger, sadness and fear, which are usually short-lived, more reactive

24

and more tied to involuntary physical reactions; whereas complex feelings involve a
combination of emotions and are more linked to thoughts and imagery. Being able to
recognise that awe is a combination of fear and surprise, and hope is a combination
of faith and optimism, ensures the better identification and understanding of these
complex emotional blends.
The most complex skill in this component involves the understanding that emotions
tend to occur in patterned chains (Salovey, Brackett, Mayer 2004:39).

Anger can

intensify into fury or diminish into annoyance or could be transformed into satisfaction
or guilt, depending on the circumstance. Reasoning about the progression of emotions
enables the individual to better understand interpersonal interactions. Emotions do not
remain constant, but rather change and adapt. The emotionally intelligent individual is
able to be more flexible by better understanding this sequential characteristic of
emotions.
The final branch involves the regulation of emotions to promote emotional and
intellectual growth.

Emotions should be tolerated - if not welcomed - by the

emotionally intelligent individual who has developed strategies to suitably manage

emotional information and in so doing optimise its benefit.
2.4.4

Reflective

regulation

of

emotions

to

promote

emotional

and

intellectual growth
As explained by Mayer, Salovey & Caruso (Bar-On & Parker 2000:108), emotional
regulation is not about getting rid of troublesome emotions because this elimination is
likely to stifle emotional intelligence.

Emotions are messengers: the emotionally

intelligent person should remain open to emotional information and then decide
whether it is necessary to engage or detach from the emotion. The first skill included
in this branch involves the ability to remain open to emotions. Bernet (1996:3) asserts
that an individual who suppresses his emotions is unable to use this information to
guide a situation (Bernet 1996:3).

25

Once emotions are experienced, the usefulness of the emotion can then be evaluated,
and this will determine whether a person engages or detaches from that emotion. This
would be the second skill in this component. Individuals have the ability to actively
regulate their emotions in an attempt to capitalise on the good features while
minimising the negative features (Barrett & Salovey 2002:297).
Prior to the regulation of emotional information, the individual should determine how
typical, influential or acceptable ones mood is to a particular situation. Mayer and
Salovey (Salovey, Brackett & Mayer 2004:40) refer to this as meta- evaluation of
mood. These reflections are conscious and assist in directing further action - also
known as regulation of the emotion being experienced.
Emotional regulation involves the strategies that the individual employs to regulate
positive and negative emotions. Emotional regulation is assessed in children by asking
them to explain how they cope with stressful situations (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:170).
The process of emotional regulation involves both a stressor, the event that evokes
distress in the child, as well as a strategy, namely any effort to manage the distress.
Coping strategies are synonymous with emotional regulation.

Successful coping

strategies are determined by the range of strategies available, the ability to select a
suitable strategy and the ability to suitably implement the strategy. The assessment of
emotional regulation in children could involve determining the effectiveness of their
coping strategies.
The development of effective coping strategies is usually age related (Salovey & Sluyter
1997:169).

As children mature cognitively, they seem to be more able to regulate

emotions internally rather than rely on others to regulate emotion.

Moreover they

demonstrate an increased ability to select situationally appropriate strategies (Salovey

& Sluyter 1997;169).
This concludes the explanation of the four components of the Mayer & Salovey model
(Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10) which form the basis of the assessment tool that will be
devised by the researcher.

The next section discusses the ability to adequately

26

measure emotional intelligence as well as the difficulties associated with this process.
Successful measuring of emotional intelligence is the second criterion to be met if a
concept is to be considered a form of intelligence.

2.5 THE MEASURING OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Pfeiffer (2001:139) points out that to date there is no objective, theoretically grounded
measure of emotional intelligence that stands up to scientific scrutiny and can be
regarded as reliable and valid.

Pfeiffer (2001:139) contends that without

psychometrically sound measures, it is difficult to completely understand the concept

of emotional intelligence.
A popular method of assessing emotional intelligence involves the use of self-report
instruments such as the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (Schutte & Malouff
1999:15). The shortcoming of self-report measures is the subjectivity of the responses
from the testee. Mayer, Caruso and Salovey (Bar-On & Parker 2000:324) explain that
selfreport methods are closely linked to accurate self-concepts and that most people
tend to over-emphasise their abilities and thus tend to provide inaccurate information.
Self-reported intelligence does not correlate highly with actual measures of
intelligence, so why should it be any different for emotional intelligence?
Salovey and Mayers model (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10) is regarded as an ability-based
model of emotional intelligence and this implies that assessment tasks must
demonstrate how emotional intelligence is made operational in the individual. These
assessments are usually referred to as performance tests.

Salovey and Mayer

(1997:16) discuss three criteria which need to be considered when assessing

emotional intelligence within the framework of the ability model:
1. The actual ability discussed within the model must be assessed and not the
existence of personal qualities such as optimism and motivation. These traits assist
emotional intelligence but cannot be regarded as components of emotional
intelligence.

27

2. The assessment must assess the actual application of the ability and not simply
provide a self-description of how emotionally intelligent a person is.

Asking a

person to solve a problem offers a more valid sample of behaviour for study.
3. The assessment should aim at connecting the various abilities discussed in Salovey
and Mayers model (Salovey & Schutte 1997:10) to each another.
Ciarrochi, Forgas and Mayer (2001:30) distinguish between self-report measurements
and performance-based assessments. The following distinctions are made:

Performance tests are able to measure actual EI whereas self-report measures

assess perceived EI.

Performance measures are usually more time consuming to administer than selfreport measures since a trained professional would need to administer a performance
test.

Self-report assessments require a certain level of personal insight. Many people may
not have this insight and might not be able to answer the questions accurately.

People are also able to distort their responses in order to provide favoured responses
instead of truthful ones in self-report measures.

Self-report measures tend to be closely related to personality factors such as the Big
Five: neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness.
Performance assessments, on the other hand, are more related to traditional
intelligence measures, which means they are related to cognitive functioning.

The MEIS (Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale) and the more updated MSCEIT
(Mayer- Salovey- Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test) both follow the Mayer & Salovey
model of emotional intelligence (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10) and can be considered as
performance tests. Mayer, Caruso & Salovey (Bar-On & Parker 2000:332) maintain that
these assessments are providing relevant information about the measurement of
emotional intelligence as an ability and what it is able to predict. These assessments are
however still under considerable scrutiny from the scientific community.

28

A major obstacle facing researchers who want to design a performance-based

assessment tool for emotional intelligence is determining which responses are correct. It
is difficult to determine an objective set of responses, as this assumes that someone
has the correct answer. Emotional responses will possess a personal quality and it is
often difficult to determine the accuracy of individual responses. There are three possible
options for the scoring of sub-tests (Ciarrochi et al. 2001:31):
1. The favoured option, known as consensus scoring, involves determining how
closely a participants answer matches a consensus answer. The consensus answer
is based on how most people respond to the question.

This requires that the

assessment has been completed by a diverse and vast sample population.

2. Expert opinion is based on the judgements made by a panel of experts, for
instance a group of psychologists. Respondents who answer the same way as the
experts are regarded as providing an acceptable response.
3. Target criterion is the third option and is based on how accurately the respondent
can guess how the person was feeling at the time of the activity. The correct
answer is then provided by the stimulus person participating in the test.
The criticism that EQ assessments cannot provide definite responses and are therefore
not scientifically sound is counter-argued by Mayer et al (2001: 236). They point out that
IQ tests may have some objectively scored sub-tests, such as digits forward or
backward, but they also contain tests which are subjectively scored, such as the
comprehension subtest which is composed of a variety of possible responses which
have been collected using consensus scoring or expert opinion.
Assessment procedures still need to be refined in order for emotional intelligence to
comfortably fulfil a position as a separate form of intelligence. Currently only the MEIS
has satisfied the three criteria for EI to qualify as a true form of intelligence, namely, (1)
reflect performance rather than preferred ways of behaving, (2) correlate, but not too
highly, with established IQ measures and (3) improve during childhood to middle

29

adulthood (Ciarrochi et al. 2001:44).

Despite this encouraging initial evidence much

research is still necessary to improve the validity of measures (Ciarrochi et al. 2001:45).
The next criterion that needs to be fulfilled before EI may be regarded as an independent
form of intelligence, is its ability to prove its independence or partial independence from
other forms of intelligence.

2.6 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS A SEPARATE CONSTRUCT

For emotional intelligence to be regarded as a separate form of intelligence, it must be
able to prove that it is structurally independent from other forms of cognitive ability
(Zeidner, Matthews & Roberts 2001:265).

If two types of intelligence correlate too

highly, then they are regarded as representing the same form of intelligence, which
would make the newly considered intelligence unnecessary.

If the two forms of

intelligence do not correlate then it would seem that the new form of intelligence is so
different from other forms of intelligence that it cannot be considered an intelligence at
all. The ideal correlation between two forms of intelligence is a low-moderate correlation
(Salovey & Sluyter 1997:6).
Emotional intelligence can indeed be correlated with certain other forms of intelligence
(Ciarrochi et al.2001:188-191).

Using the MEIS, (Multifactor Emotional Intelligence

Scale) there was some overlap but not a high correlation with measures of verbal
intelligence. This would be expected, as a persons ability to express himself would relate
to his competence in emotional intelligence.
Much research is still needed to confirm that emotional intelligence is in fact a separate
construct, compared to other forms of intelligence which can provide valuable but
separate information with regards to an individuals functioning. It is pleasing to note
that much of the research thus far indicates that EI does differ both conceptually and
statistically from other IQ measures (Ciarrochi et al. 2001:190).

30

Finally, the predictive value of the concept of emotional intelligence needs to be

explained. In order for emotional intelligence to be regarded as a separate intelligence, it
must be proved that it both is related to real life criteria and is able to contribute towards
an individuals optimal functioning.

2.7 PREDICTIVE VALUE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

As emotional intelligence is a relatively new construct, researchers caution against
proposing that emotional intelligence significantly contributes to success in life (Cobb &
Mayer 2000:17. Salovey & Sluyter 1997:17). Current research does nonetheless indicate
that emotional intelligence positively influences individual performance.
Lam and Kirby (2002:140) investigated how an individuals ability to perceive, understand
and regulate emotions is related to performance. While general intelligence still made a
significant contribution to an individuals performance, they found that when emotions
were recognised by the cognitive systems of the brain, emotional regulation played an
important role. The ability both to guard against distracting emotions and to build on
enhancing emotions facilitated individual task performance as well as team performance.
Cobb and Mayer (2000: 17) quote preliminary research from unpublished studies and
dissertations. The conclusions from the research indicate that higher levels of emotional
intelligence predict lower incidences of bad behaviour.

The research indicates that,

using the Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS), high scores in emotional
intelligence moderately predicted lowered levels of adult bad behaviour such as getting
into fights, drinking and smoking.

Another study indicated that higher emotional

intelligence was inversely related to teacher and peer ratings of aggression amongst
students.
This concludes the discussion of the ability-based model in emotional intelligence. Thus
far the literature study has:

Explained the skills included in an ability-based conception of emotional

intelligence.

31

Indicated the measurement difficulties associated with assessing emotional

intelligence.

Ascertained thus far that emotional intelligence can be considered as a separate

construct.

Explored the predictive value of emotional intelligence.

The following section provides a summary of the emotional development of children in

middle childhood.

A better understanding of this topic will assist the researcher in

designing an assessment tool that is relevant and appropriate for this age group.

2.8 THE

DEVELOPMENT

OF

EMOTIONAL

INTELLIGENCE

IN

CHILDREN
Emotional understanding develops throughout childhood. A young infant responds to the
emotional messages provided by its caregiver and as the child develops, emotional
understanding becomes more attuned and complex.

Although it is difficult to find a

comprehensive guide to the development of emotional intelligence in a child, many

studies have been conducted on specific aspects of childrens emotional understanding.
As this dissertation does not allow for an in-depth discussion of the various studies, a
tabulated summary has been included instead.
The tabulated format below structures the information as follows:

The first column contains the details of the study. This includes the researchers who
have conducted a study on the particular phenomenon and the date of the study. It
also provides the source of the study.

The second column indicates the phenomenon that the researcher intended to study
and is presented in a question format.

The third column summarises the researchers findings in the study. This column is
particularly relevant as it provides information on the expected development of
emotional intelligence in childhood.

32

In the fourth column, the researcher has attempted to link the findings of the
particular study to the Mayer and Salovey model of emotional intelligence (Salovey &
Sluyter 1997:10), which forms the basis of this dissertation.

Details of

Main focus of

Understanding of

Connection to

Study

study

childrens emotional

Salovey-Mayer

development

model

1. Odom &

At what age are

Preschoolers can successfully

Perception,

Lemond 1972

children able to

distinguish the facial

appraisal and

(LaFreniere

recognise spontaneous

expressions associated with

expression of

2000:177)

and posed facial

happiness, sadness, anger and

emotions:

expressions of various

fear. It seems that children

Young children are

emotions?

found it easier to recognise

able to make use of

happiness than to recognise

facial expressions

anger and fear. The ability to

to understand

accurately decode facial

emotions in other

expressions becomes

people.

progressively more accurate

from early to middle childhood.
2. Field & Waldon

When can children

Children between the ages of

Perception,

1982 (Bar-On &

produce facial

3-5 years of age were able to

appraisal and

Parker 2000:247)

expressions to imitate

imitate emotions from a

expression of

an expression provided

photograph without the aid of

emotions:

in a photograph?

an emotional label or a mirror.

Children are able to

express emotional
information through
facial expressions.

3. Stein, Trabasso

Can preschool children

Young children are able to

Emotional

& Liwag 1997

make use of memories

form coherent and meaningful

facilitation of

(Lewis &

and appraisals of

representations of events

thinking:

Haviland- Jones

events when trying to

especially those that elicit

Children are able to

2000:452)

encode and remember

emotional responses.

consider the

emotionally provoking

emotional

situations?

information of a
situation when
appraising and

33
recalling the
events.
4. Lagattuta,

To what extent do

Most 5-6-year-olds were able

Emotional

Wellman & Flavell

children understand

to articulate that a reminder of

facilitation of

1997.

the impact of being

a previous sad event could re-

thinking:

(Lewis & Haviland

reminded about a felt

invoke the sad feelings

Emotions from

-Jones 2000:289)

emotion?

previously experienced.

previous events
have the ability to
be vivid enough to
aid judgement of a
new situation.

5. Silverman &

To what extent can a

Children as young as 4 years

Emotional

Drabman 1983

child make use of

old are able to anticipate

facilitation of

(Saarni & Harris

personal information

emotional reactions to a

thinking:

1989:157)

to anticipate others

variety of emotional situations,

Young children can

responses to

thus making use of inferences

generate feelings in

situations?

to project responses to

order to anticipate

situations.

the results of a
situation.

6.Hartin &

When do children

Children in middle childhood

Perception,

Budder 1987

begin to understand

are able to understand more

appraisal and

(Saarni & Harris

differentiated

differentiated emotions, such

expression of

1989:113)

emotions, ie. Emotions

as excitement, pride,

emotions:

can be comprised of

disappointment.

Emotional blends

several features?

can be understood
by children in
middle childhood.

7. Harris 1992.

When do children

Children listened to a story

Understanding &

(LaFreniere 2000

recognise complex

containing two conflicting

analysing emotions:

:228)

emotions, ie. the

events. School-age children

Children in middle

concept that one can

were able to understand that

childhood are able

experience mixed

the character may experience

to understand

emotions

conflicting emotions whereas

simultaneous,

34
simultaneously?

pre-school children were only

conflicting

able to recognise emotions

emotions.

sequentially.
8. Mendelson &

When can children

Children between the ages of

Understanding &

Peters 1983

take into account the

9-10 years could make use of

analysing emotions:

(Saarni & Harris

context of an

contextual information for

The ability to

1989:203)

emotional reaction?

hostile, but not affectionate,

connect emotional

situations; whereas

information to

adolescents (13-14yrs)

situational events.

consistently made use of

relationship knowledge.
9. Brenner &

What coping strategies

7 -10-year-old children were

Reflective

Salovey 1997

do children employ

asked to describe strategies

regulation of

(Salovey &

when confronted with

used to deal with self-reported

emotions:

Sluyter 1997:172)

negative emotions?

stressful strategies. The 7-

The ability to make

year-old children made use of

use of internal

behavioural strategies where

cognitive strategies

as the older children were

to deal with

more able to make use of

negative emotions,

cognitive strategies such as

develops with age.

think about something else.

10. Brenner &

When are children able

7 year-old children relied more

Reflective

Salovey 1997

to make use of

on support from others than

regulation of

(Salovey &

solitary strategies to

did 10 year-old children in

emotions:

Sluyter 1997:173)

solve problems as

coping with stressful

Older children are

opposed to relying on

situations.

more capable of

others for assistance?

using internal
strategies to
regulate their
emotional
reactions.

11. Cole 1996

Are children able to

Adolescent children are more

Reflective

(LaFreniere 2000:

control emotions by

circumspect about expressing

regulation of

232)

considering possible

negative emotions, such as

emotions:

consequences of such

sadness and anger as they

Older children are

emotions?

anticipate negative

able to detach from

interpersonal consequences of

emotional reactions

these emotions.

which may result in

35
negative
consequences.

Throughout childhood, developmental advances in cognition, language, self-concept and

social relations ensure the gradual development of more complex emotional responses.
With their advancement in emotional understanding, children are more able to utilise
emotional information to solve problems and deal with situations.

In the view of

LaFreniere (2000:238) children in middle childhood exhibit two important developmental

changes in their understanding of emotional information:
1. The understanding that a person may experience two ambivalent emotions as a
single reaction.

This would increase their ability to understand and analyse

emotions as they are able to recognise complex emotions.

2. The ability to learn the rules for emotion management that are prescribed by ones
culture. Therefore the child begins to realise the appropriateness of displaying
emotions based on socialisation rules.
Middle childhood marks a move away from an egocentric, family-orientated stage of
development to the rough-and-tumble world of peer relationships.

There is much

comparison between peers regarding their talents, aptitudes and appearance and it
therefore follows that the appropriate expression of emotions becomes important
(Greenspan 1993:9). Salovey and Sluyter (1997:239) comment that it is a misconception
that children in middle childhood are less emotional than pre-school children. It is more
likely that they are now more able to refine their emotional display to meet cultural
expectations.
Their cognitive processing of emotional information is also more advanced allowing them
greater control over their emotional responses. Aspects such as inner speech have now
been automatised, whereas this was accomplished with conscious effort before.

The

child in middle childhood is more able to think through problem situations and to
anticipate their occurrence. This results in more socially competent behaviour (Salovey &
Sluyter 1997:106). A child at this age is also more able to recognise that expressive

36

behaviours may not match inner feelings.

Their ability to deal with ambiguity also

increases (LaFreniere 2000:238).

From the above it can be argued that the level of emotional intelligence expected from a
child in middle childhood is quite advanced.

Possibly the importance of socialisation

strategies makes the child in middle childhood more aware of effective emotional
responses. However, full emotional maturity has not yet been reached at this stage and
it is therefore important to briefly consider the emotional understanding of the
adolescent.

This will provide the researcher with an understanding of those aspects

which typically cannot be expected in middle childhood. Salovey and Sluyter (1997:240245) report the following developmental changes that can be expected in adolescent
children:

Emotional expression becomes more gender-based.

More subtle forms of emotional expression are evident in the adolescents

communicative repertoire, such as contempt and shame.

Increased recognition of their own emotional needs based on the ability to

anticipate emotional responses to a situation.

Increasing awareness of internal mood changes.

This section aimed to provide a brief overview of the emotional development of a child in
middle childhood. Central to the development and implementation of the assessment
tool will be what can be expected from the group of children being assessed.
Finally, this literature review briefly discusses the role of the educational psychologist and
aims at justifying the significance of emotional intelligence to the therapeutic setting.

2.9 THE ROLE OF THE EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST

The first advantage of emotional intelligence to psychological practice is its relevance to a
concept known as psychological mindedness.

In the Handbook of Emotional

Intelligence (Bar-On & Parker 2000:493), psychological mindedness is discussed as a set

37

of abilities closely linked to successful outcomes in psychotherapy.

Psychological

mindedness involves four broad abilities: access to ones feelings, willingness to talk
about ones feelings and interpersonal problems, capacity for behavioural change and an
interest in other peoples behaviour.

Although emotional intelligence, as defined by

Mayer and Salovey (Salovey & Sluyter 1997: 10) involves a vast array of skills,
psychological mindedness is a concept which could be integrated under the emotional
intelligence umbrella. A psychologist who has an understanding of emotional intelligence
could use it as a tool to determine the psychological mindedness of a prospective client
and their ability to be insightful during psychotherapy.
Secondly, emotional intelligence can be used as an integral part of the therapeutic
process. Corey (1996:43) defines counselling as assisting clients to look honestly at their
lifestyle and behaviour and aiding them in making decisions about ways in which they
want to modify the quality of their lives. One method of assisting the process of change
is through psycho-educational interventions, whereby skills and strategies are taught
and practised in order to improve coping strategies.

The idea that emotional

intelligence is related to psychological adaptation is discussed by Pellitteri (2002:15).

Psychological adaptation is more likely to occur through the emotional knowledge
component, which entails increasing ones understanding about emotions.
Counselling interventions that aim only at increasing emotional perception and regulation
may be ineffective, especially if the source of the problem is at an unconscious level.
This would require in-depth, dynamic therapeutic interventions. Therefore, developing
emotional competencies within a psycho-educational approach should not be regarded as
the only possible approach to assist the client in the therapeutic process (Pellitteri
2002:15).
Goleman (1996:227) explains that the development of key skills in emotional intelligence
extends over several years. Each period in childhood opens up a window to instil certain
emotional habits.

He refers to developing emotional teaching in childhood as the

sculpting and pruning of neural circuits.

He maintains that if these are correctly

mastered they may help to eliminate drawn-out emotional hardships and trauma into

38

adulthood. Pennington (2002:30) supports the view presented by McWhirter (1995), who
argues that when students seek assistance from a counselling centre they usually intend
to obtain an emotional education which will better equip them for personal and
interpersonal events.
The educational psychologist can play a role in developing emotional knowledge and skills
in the child. Du Toit and Kruger (1991:104) discuss the child in middle childhood as
gradually moving towards autonomy and independence, but for whom adult assistance is
still necessary. Parental influence is critical in this process as well as that of teachers and
other significant adults. The educational psychologist may become one of those who
provides support and encouragement in the childs becoming. Oosthuizen and Petrick
(School Guidance and Counselling Study Guide 1990: 27) comment that the ultimate goal
of school guidance is to guide the child towards self-actualisation. This means that the
child becomes what he can, wants and ought to become. In order to reach this ultimate
goal, the educational psychologist may need to explore the childs educational essences.
The essences refer to the individuals relationship with self as well as with others. The
psychologist would need to determine the extent that these essences are realistic and
functional.

The next section will both explore the educational essences that the

educational psychologist should consider when working with a child client as well as
relating these essences to possible aspects of emotional intelligence.
The following educational essences aid the child in becoming a well-adjusted adult who is
able to successfully participate in his life-world.
1. SIGNIFICANCE ATTRIBUTION: This is a cognitive component and involves the
childs ability to recognise, know, understand and do things (Oosthuizen & Petrick
1990:5). From the perspective of emotional intelligence, emotions serve informative
functions and act as an interface between ourselves and the environment making
judgement more attainable and realistic. (Barrett and Salovey 2002:91)
2. INVOLVEMENT: This relates to the childs active exertion in order to be part of the
world, and involves exploring and doing within their life world (Oosthuizen & Petrick

39

1990:28).

Du Toit and Kruger (1991:109) discuss the childs life as being

characterised by intentionality. Therefore the child must want to actively get involved
in his life world. Vermeulen (International Conference on Emotional Intelligence and
Leadership: 2002) regards emotions as our energy source which motivates us towards
action. In other words, the child who can mobilise his emotional states is more able
to explore and be involved in his life world.

3. EXPERIENCE: This involves the childs perception of his relationships with people,
objects and self (Oosthuizen & Petrick 1990:5). A child with an understanding of his
various emotions and who is open to experiencing these emotions will develop a
realistic view of self. A child who has developed emotional intelligence will be open to
both positive and negative emotions, and will actively regulate his own emotions in
order to capitalise on the positive aspects while minimising the negative ones (Barrett
and Salovey 2002:297).

Emotional intelligence encourages the individual to

experience an array of emotions and to engage in emotions that are fulfilling, relevant
and lead to a feeling of well-being.
4. SELF-CONCEPT: An educational-therapeutic perspective on counselling involves the
development of a realistic self-concept through the exploration of the identity concept.
The exploration of the childs identity serves the purpose of answering the question
who am I? until he reaches self-actualisation.

Because a persons identity is

interwoven with his educational essences of significance attribution, involvement and

experience, it is often important within the therapeutic situation for the individual to
better understand these essences himself.

Emotional intelligence can significantly

develop an understanding of these essences (Oosthuizen & Petrick 1990: 7).

In the view of Du Toit and Kruger (1991:124) middle childhood is a critical period for
the development of the self-concept. This is because the childs ability to learn about
himself increases, as do his social contracts which help him to evaluate himself.
Therefore the involvement of the educational psychologist in further developing the
educational essences in middle childhood can lead to a realistic self-concept.

40

The assessment of emotional intelligence may provide the educational psychologist with
further insights about the emotional functioning of the child client. This information can
be used as a starting point in the therapeutic process.

2.10 CONCLUSION
The aim of the literature review has been to better equip the researcher for the empirical
research which follows. The researcher has focussed on an ability-based conception of
emotional intelligence which has been explained in detail in order to highlight its
relevance within this research project.

The researcher has also aimed at better

understanding the emotional development of children in middle childhood, from which

the sample group is taken. Since the research project is intended to enhance therapeutic
practice for the educational psychologist, the literature review has considered the role of
the educational psychologist as well as the potential benefit of emotional intelligence to
therapeutic practice.
The next chapter will deal with the empirical research aspect of this dissertation. Firstly,
it will explain how the researcher intends to implement the research project including an
explanation of the type of research to be implemented and the method for choosing
suitable samples.

The measuring assessments to be used in the empirical research

section will also be explained. These three measuring instruments include the emotional
assessment tool designed by the researcher, the interview which will be conducted with
the parent of the child, and finally the questions given to a group of educational
psychologists to complete.
The second part of Chapter Three will provide detailed feedback of the results of the
empirical research once the assessment tool has been implemented on a small sample
group.

41

CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH DESIGN
3.1 INTRODUCTION
The researcher has used the information gained from the literature review in Chapter
Two to design an empirical research study. This chapter explains the methods used to
devise and implement the research design, as well as the results obtained from the
empirical investigation.
The first part of this chapter discusses the data collection strategies used in the empirical
research design.

Bogdan and Biglin (1992:58) discuss the importance of empirical

research and identify specific data collection strategies.

These strategies provide the

tools, parameters and guidelines on how to proceed with the investigation.

The second part of this chapter will provide the results of the empirical investigation. The
results will be summarised and interpreted and the value of the empirical research project
will be considered.

3.2 THE RESEARCH METHODS

3.2.1 The research problem
Chapter One provided a detailed explanation of the research problem to be investigated
in this dissertation. To summarise Chapter One, the research question that will guide the
empirical investigation is the following:
Can an assessment of emotional intelligence, based on the cognitive, ability model
of emotional intelligence, provide valuable information to an educational
psychologist with regards to the emotional intelligence of a learner in middle
childhood?

42

The next section will explore the aims of the empirical investigation which will aid the
researcher in focusing and delineating the research.
3.2.2 The aims of the research project
The general and specific aims were introduced in Chapter One. The general aims, which
involved a detailed literature study to examine the concept of emotional intelligence,
provided the groundwork for the empirical investigation.

The specific aims will be

discussed further below because they relate specifically to the empirical research project.
1. The researcher will design an assessment tool, known as the EIAT, which incorporates
the components included in Mayer and Saloveys ability model of emotional
intelligence (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10). Please refer to appendix A for a summary of
this model.
2. Four educational psychologists will be asked to evaluate the assessment tool for
emotional intelligence by completing a set of written questions which have been
devised by the researcher. This will aid the researcher in determining the usefulness
of the assessment tool and its relevance to everyday practice.
3. Prior to assessing the children using the EIAT, one or both parents will be interviewed
to ascertain the parents perception of the childs emotional intelligence.

This

information will be compared to the information obtained in the EIAT.

4. The researcher will administer the EIAT to six children between the ages of 8-11 and
interpret the results from these assessments.
The purpose and implementation of these four aims will be discussed in further detail a
little later in this chapter.
3.2.3 The research design

43

In the empirical investigation, a qualitative research design will be followed.

The

qualitative research, descriptive in nature, aims to explain the results of the assessment
by describing the phenomenon without manipulating the treatments or subjects
(Schumacher

&

McMillan

1993:35).

Qualitative

research

contains

particular

characteristics, which are explained by De Vos, Strydom, Fouche, Poggenpoel, Schurink,

E and Schurink, W eds (1998:242-243). Some of these characteristics will be discussed
briefly including their relevance to this research project.

Qualitative research is idiographic, in other words it aims at understanding the

individual meanings that people attach to everyday life. The assessment tool, parent
interview and psychologists evaluations will enquire about the thoughts, viewpoints
and opinions of the individuals concerned.

The research will then document the

information obtained.

Qualitative research regards reality as subjective. Human phenomena are difficult

to quantify and therefore also difficult to objectify.

Within this empirical

investigation, the researcher will document and interpret the subjective responses
from the various sample groups (children, parents and psychologists).

Qualitative research seeks to understand phenomena. This investigation aims to

further understand the concept of emotional intelligence by designing, implementing
and assessing the effectiveness of an ability-based assessment tool in emotional
intelligence.

Qualitative data collection is presented in the form of words, quotes and

transcripts. The researcher will collect qualitative data from the children, parents and
psychologists who participate in this research project. The responses will be
documented and interpreted and conclusions drawn from this information.

In addition to following the principles of a qualitative research design, this dissertation

more specifically, can be considered a pilot study project. A pilot study is appropriate to
this empirical investigation for the following reasons:

44

A pilot study allows for the pre-testing of a measuring instrument by implementing the
assessment tool on a small, appropriate sample group. This allows the researcher to test
the suitability of the assessment tool prior to it being used on a larger sample group. In
this empirical study, six children aged between 8-11 years will be used to pre-test the
assessment tool. The implementation of the assessment tool on a wider sample group
could form the basis of a doctoral study (De Vos et al 1998: 178).

The pilot study will commence with a comprehensive literature study to ensure a
clear formulation of the problem as well as aiding the planning and implementation of
the investigation.

The design of the assessment tool is based on the theoretical

underpinnings discussed in Chapter Two of this dissertation (De Vos et al 1998:179).

A pilot study makes use of experts in the chosen field to provide their opinions on
the relevance of the assessment tool. Experts help to delineate the problem more
clearly as well as provide valuable information with regards to the technical and
practical aspects of the research project.

Four psychologists will be asked to

complete a set of written questions regarding the suitability and relevance of the
EIAT as an assessment tool.

The researcher will use this information to make

modifications prior to administering the assessment to the sample group (De Vos et
al 1998:180).
The following section provides further information regarding the measuring tools to be
used in this empirical investigation.

3.3 MEASURING INSTRUMENTS

This empirical investigation will make use of the following measuring instruments:
1. An assessment tool known as the EIAT, which has been devised by the researcher to
assess the emotional intelligence of learners between the ages of 8-11 years.

45

2. A set of written questions will be given to four psychologists. The questions refer to
specific aspects of the EIAT that the researcher would like evaluated by the
psychologists.
3. A standardised open-ended interview (Schumacher & McMillan 1993: 426) will be
conducted with one parent prior to the assessment of the child. This type of interview
assumes that the exact questions are formulated beforehand by the researcher, and
that each interview is conducted in the same manner.

This approach reduces

interviewer effects and bias. The questions will allow for open-ended responses by
the parent.

Such responses allow for free expressions of feelings, motives and

behaviour (Rosnow & Rosenthal 1996 416).

Each measuring tool will now be discussed in further detail.
3.3.1

The Emotional Intelligence Assessment Tool (EIAT)

This assessment tool, designed by the researcher, is based on the following premises
(please refer to Appendix B for a copy of the assessment tool):

The Emotional Intelligence Assessment Tool (EIAT) is based on the Mayer and
Salovey conceptualisation of emotional intelligence (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10). This
model is regarded as a cognitive, ability-based model (Schutte and Malouff 1999:5)
and links emotions to the facilitation of thought processes. The EIAT is composed of
four sections that correspondingly assess the four components discussed in this model
(Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10). The four components are:

(1) The ability to perceive emotions

(2) The ability to access, generate and use emotions to assist thought processes
(3) The ability to understand emotions and emotional knowledge
(4) The ability to regulate emotions in order to promote emotional and intellectual
growth

46

Following the explanation of the basic premises, these four sections will now be
discussed in further detail.
The EIAT is based on a cognitive, ability-based model of emotional intelligence. In the
view of Ciarrochi, Forgas and Mayer (2001:21) an ability-based model concentrates on a
persons ability to process emotional information.

Assessment procedures should

therefore utilise this ability by expecting the individual to solve problems. Mayer and
Salovey (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:16) explain that asking a person to solve a problem
realises actual ability rather than merely perceived potential. As argued below, the EIAT
may be regarded as a problem-solving assessment tool and not a self-report measure.
The EIAT is composed of various relevant vignettes, each containing a social or emotional
dilemma.

The testee is asked specific questions regarding this dilemma which

demonstrates his ability to process emotional information effectively.

The testee is

required to give advice to the character in the vignette. The content of the vignettes is
varied and includes both home and school contexts, with an emphasis on school and peer
situations. The rationale for this is borne out by Greenspan (1993:9) who explains how
children in middle childhood define themselves a little less in terms of the way their
parents treat them, and a little more by how they fit into a peer group.
Each question targets a specific skill in emotional intelligence. Although there are no
definite correct answers there are criteria guidelines to which the administrator can refer
when determining the appropriateness of each response. The responses will be recorded
and interpreted by the researcher to provide qualitative information on the childs
emotional intelligence, as well as pertinent information on the effectiveness of the
assessment tool. This information may be used to modify the tool before it is statistically
tested.
3.3.1.1

Composition of the assessment tool

47

The four components of the Mayer/ Salovey model are discussed in the literature review
in Chapter Two.

This section contains a brief overview of the inclusion of the

components in the EIAT.

a

Perception, appraisal and expression of emotions

Most fundamental to the effective use of emotional information is the ability to recognise
and identify accurately what one is feeling (Parrott 2001:186). The following aspects are
assessed in this section:

Identification of emotions: This involves the ability to make use of internal cues
(eg. bodily reactions) as well as situational cues which provide emotional information.
The EIAT expects the testee to recognise and correctly identify emotional
information.

Recognition of emotions in other people: Goleman (1996:96) describes how the

ability to read non-verbal information is the key to intuiting anothers feelings. These
non-verbal cues include a persons facial expression, body language and tone of
voice. In the EIAT, the testees awareness of these non-verbal cues is assessed.

Appropriate expression of emotions:

The emotionally intelligent individual is

able to express his emotions both verbally and non-verbally. The EIAT asks testees
to explain how they would appropriately let others know how they are feeling.

Discrimination of emotions: At times, emotions conveyed may be false and

manipulative and the emotionally intelligent individual needs to discriminate between
accurate and inaccurate expressions of emotions. The EIAT has included ambiguous
situations requiring that those tested show discernment in interpreting the sincerity
of the emotions being displayed.

The second section in the EIAT involves the ability to make use of emotional information
to aid thinking and judgement. Four components are discussed in this section.
b

Emotional facilitation of thinking

48

This section can be described as affect as information (Barrett & Salovey 2002:90) and
involves using emotional information when making judgements and decisions.

The

following will be assessed in this section of the EIAT:

Emotional information aiding decision-making: Barrett and Salovey (2002:90)

comment that feelings convey information about value, that is the positive or
negative aspect of things, and this information is especially relevant when making
decisions.

EIAT questions assess the ability to recognise the connection between

emotions and decision making.

Anticipation of feelings: This is the ability to judge a particular situation based on

the predicted emotions that are likely to be experienced.

The EIAT requires the

testee to anticipate feelings and explain how these may aid the effective handling of
a situation.

Emotions allow for multiple perspectives: Ones specific emotional state often
influences ones perception of a particular situation (Parrott 2001:187). The EIAT
expects the testee to recognise the relationship between ones perceptions of a
situation and ones emotional response to it, and how a change in emotion can lead to
a corresponding change in perception.

Reasoning affected by moods: Moods have a powerful effect on ones reasoning

ability. Creative and inductive reasoning is better accomplished when the individual
is in a happy mood, whereas deductive reasoning is better accomplished when in a
sad mood (Parrott 2001:187). The EIAT assesses the testees ability to align a
particular task to an appropriate mood.

The third section included in the EIAT, involves the ability to understand emotions so that
they can be effectively deployed in our daily lives. There are four components included in
this section.
c

Understanding and analysing emotions: Employing emotional knowledge

Emotions are complex: for emotions to accurately aid reasoning, this complexity needs to
be understood. The following aspects are assessed:

49

Differentiation of emotions:

Being able to discriminate and understand the

subtleties between emotional labels increases ones accuracy in expressing oneself.

In the EIAT, the testee is required to differentiate between words which contain
similar emotional content.

Emotions connected to relationships: Emotions do not exist in a vacuum but are

closely related to particular situations (Le Roux & De Klerk 2001:35). The testees
ability to link emotions to particular situations is assessed by asking how the
protagonist would feel about the situation that has been described.

Complex

emotions

and

blends:

Complex

emotions

involve

apparent

contradictions, such as feeling excited and sad about a situation at the same time.
Understanding emotional blends involves the recognition that certain emotions are a
mixture of different emotions, such as hope being a combination of faith and
optimism (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:14).

The EIAT tests such an understanding of

complex emotions and emotional blends.

Sequences of emotions: Emotions are dynamic: they can change as a situation

unfolds. The recognition that a persons emotions may not stay constant throughout
a situation but may intensify, change or soften is assessed in this section of the EIAT.
The testee is expected to recognise the social cues that may indicate a change in a
persons emotions.

The final section included in the EIAT assesses the individuals ability to make use of
suitable strategies to regulate and control emotions. As in the previous sections, this
section comprises four skills.
d

Reflective regulation of emotions: Promoting emotional and intellectual

growth

According to Barrett and Salovey (2002:250), the utilisation of emotional information to

aid goal attainment, or conversely the thwarting of a goal, can be regarded as an
interpersonal regulator. The following four skills are assessed in the EIAT:

50

Openness to feelings: Emotions provide information about the environment and in

order to harness this information the individual must be willing to recognise and
experience all the emotions connected to a situation.

The EIAT focuses on the

testees preparedness to remain open to emotional information especially when this

emotional information is negative.

Engagement and detachment of emotions: Lewis & Haviland-Jones (2000:508)

refer to mood maintenance or mood repair strategies, whereby one participates in
activities that maintain a particular mood, or conversely avoid activities that negatively
impact on the mood. The EIAT aims at determining whether the testee can recognise
the impact of an emotion to a situation and either detach from or engage in the
emotion.

Monitoring emotions: This requires the ability to consciously reflect on an emotion

and determine whether it is acceptable or unacceptable, typical or atypical within the
situation.

Monitoring of emotions enables individuals to alter their emotional

responses to better assist them in dealing with situations (Barrett & Salovey
2002:299). The testee will be asked to determine the appropriateness of an emotion
to a particular situation.

Management of emotions: The management of emotions involves a persons

ability to make use of suitable coping strategies to deal with emotional information.
The EIAT assesses which strategies are employed by the individual to regulate
emotions.

This completes the overview of the EIAT. A copy of the assessment tool, together with
instructions for administration and a scoring procedure, are included in Appendix B. Each
child assessed will be tape-recorded to allow the researcher to interpret and assess each
response fully. It is estimated that the administration of the EIAT will take approximately
45-60 minutes.
The next section discusses the pre-assessment parent interview which will provide further
information regarding the emotional intelligence of the child being assessed.
3.3.2

Standardised open-ended interview

51

The standardised open-ended interview will be conducted with one of the childs parents
prior to the assessment of their child.

This interview will determine the parents

perception of his/her childs emotional intelligence. The interview will also enquire about
the parents own emotional intelligence and ability to include emotional information in
their parenting styles. Goleman (1996:190) explains how emotionally intelligent parents
are more likely to foster emotional intelligence in their children. The information obtained
from this parent interview will be interpreted in conjunction with the results from the
EIAT.
Bogdan and Biklen (1992:96) define the aim of an interview as the opportunity to gather
descriptive data in the subjects own words so that the researcher can develop insights
on how subjects interpret some piece of the world.

The interview chosen in this

research project is a standardised, open-ended interview devised by the researcher

(Schumacher & Mcmillan 1993:426). This interview is structured to ensure that each
parent is asked the same set of questions in the same manner. The advantage of this
systematic open-ended interview is that similar data can be collected on each child
assessed. The disadvantage of this approach is that structured questions tend to limit
the spontaneity of the individual in revealing personally relevant information about their
life world (De Vos et al 1998:298).
The questions asked in the EIAT are based on the specific skills included in the MayerSalovey model (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10). The interview will be face-to-face with the
parent, as this ensures greater detail and depth and allows the researcher to clarify or
expand on salient points (Schumacher & McMillan 1993:250).
When compiling the questions for the parent interview, the researcher considered
following guidelines provided by Schumacher and McMillan (1993:240) for writing suitable
interview questions:

The questions asked must be clear, so that all respondents interpret the question in
the same way. Exclude vague, ambiguous words and complex jargon.

52

Avoid double-barrelled questions.

Each question must be limited to one idea or

concept.

The respondents chosen, namely the parents must be competent to answer the
questions and must be able to provide reliable information.

The questions should be relevant. If the respondents are asked questions about
things that they have not thought about, they are likely to answer carelessly.

Avoid negatively stated items, as they are easy to misinterpret.

The questions should be phrased in such a way that they do not encourage
particular responses. These items would be regarded as biased.

A copy of the interview is provided in Appendix C. The researcher will tape-record each
interview and transcribe the parents responses.
3.3.3

Written responses from educational psychologists

De Vos et al (1998:180) point out that the experience of experts is an important aspect
of a pilot study. Experts working in the field are able to provide insights regarding the
practical suitability of the assessment tool. De Vos et al (1998:180) also caution the
researcher on the use of experts.

If the researcher does not have a clear

conceptualisation of his/her research project, experts can cause confusion with too many
ideas or force their ideas onto the researcher.
Each psychologist will be given, along with the written questions, a copy of the EIAT as
well as a tabulated format of the Mayer-Salovey model of emotional intelligence. Thus
each participating expert will have, for easy reference, an overview of the cognitive
ability-based model in emotional intelligence.
De Vos et al (1998:181) are aware of time restraints when working with experts. It is
important that the researcher uses questions which are specific and clearly formulated.
For the empirical research, the experts will receive a short set of open-ended, tabulated
questions.

The responses will be qualitatively assessed but not be scored.

Written

53

questions are less time consuming than interviews and can be answered at the
psychologists convenience.
The psychologists will be asked to evaluate the EIAT before the assessment is
administered to the group of children.

This will allow the researcher to make any

adjustments before using the EIAT on the first sample group. Appendix D is a copy of
the psychologists questions.
3.4

SAMPLING PROCEDURE

This empirical investigation is specifically designed for children in middle childhood (8 and
11 years).

Six children will be used in the pilot study which forms the basis of this

empirical investigation.
The choice of samples will follow a purposive sampling procedure. This type of sampling
is based on the judgement of the researcher. The subjects will be purposefully chosen in
order to reflect the most characteristic, representative or typical attributes of the
population (De Vos et al 1998:198). In this empirical investigation candidates will be
purposefully chosen who meet the age requirements (8 years to 11 years of age) and the
researcher will ensure that an equal number of boys and girls are selected for the study.
The researcher, using snowball sampling, will ensure that candidates selected will be a
variety of ages and that an equal number of boys and girls will participate.
The following procedure will be adopted in choosing suitable candidates:
The researcher will contact parents of children who fit the criteria. These children may
be at the primary school where the researcher is currently working. These parents will
then be asked to suggest other children who fit the researchers specific requirements.
The approach whereby each successive candidate is suggested by the preceding
individual is referred to as snowball sampling (Schumacher & McMillan 1993:381). The
researcher will ensure that there are an equal number of male and female participants
and an even spread of ages between 8-11 years. In order to eliminate researcher bias

54

when collecting information from the participants none of the children will be known to
the researcher either personally or professionally.
The parents of willing participants will be asked to complete and sign a consent form (see
Appendix E), which will describe the research project and request written consent to
assess their children.

The researcher will ensure the confidentiality of all candidates

assessed.
It is important for the researcher to ensure that meetings both with parents and children
will be at their convenience resulting in as little interference in their lives as possible.
They will be told that the interview and assessment will be tape-recorded so that the
researcher can accurately record the information at a later stage.
Once both the interview and assessment are completed, the researcher will telephone
each family to thank them for their participation. If parents require feedback on the
assessment, a meeting will be arranged.

Parents will be made aware that the

assessment is part of a pilot study and therefore the accuracy of the findings is still to be
validated.
The section above explained the procedure for conducting the empirical study. The next
section will provide the results of the empirical research.

The following section will

provide a summary of the feedback received from the psychologists and the amendments
made to the EIAT.
3.5
3.5.1

THE RESULTS OF THE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

Psychologists feedback on EIAT

In response to written questions sent to a number of practising psychologists, four

psychologists replied with an evaluation of the EIAT. Appendix F contains a detailed,
tabulated summary of their responses. This section aims to explain the main concerns
expressed by the psychologists, as well as the researchers response to their feedback.

55

As mentioned above, De Vos (1998:180) cautions against consulting experts before

research is clearly conceptualised. The onus rests with the researcher to decide to what
extent expert opinion will further clarify, delineate and/or improve the research
investigation.
The researchers response is in italics to make it easily distinguishable from the feedback
from the psychologists.
3.5.1.1

Length of test

There was consensus between all four psychologists regarding the length of the test. All
four psychologists were concerned that the test was too long and that it may be difficult
to maintain a childs focus for such an extended period of time. The concern would
become particularly relevant if the child suffered from concentration difficulties or
exhibited auditory perceptual difficulties.
The researcher has decided to keep two scenarios per section as one scenario may limit
the assessment and not provide the testee with the opportunity to demonstrate his
abilities. Psychologist 1 agreed with keeping two scenarios to ensure fairness for a child
who is unable to identify with one of the scenarios. In the fourth section (reflective
regulation of emotions: promoting emotional and intellectual growth), the researcher has
eliminated one scenario so that this section has two scenarios instead of three.
To shorten the test, the researcher has reduced the number of questions per section
from ten to eight questions per section. This effectively reduces the test total of 40
questions to 32.
Psychologist 2 and 3 commented that a suggested time should be included in the
instruction.
At this stage, this would be difficult as the test has not been administered to a group of
children. The pilot study itself will enable the researcher to clarify aspects such as time

56

limits. The instructions do suggest that the tester give the child a 10 minute break after
sections 1 and 2 so that the child does not lose focus. It may however be difficult to
include this test with a battery of other tests, as it is already lengthy. On the other hand,
if professional practice were to regard emotional intelligence as important as general
intelligence, then this test should be afforded the same assessment time.
3.5.1.2

Questioning style

Psychologist 2 queried the phrasing of certain questions especially can you think
questions which may elicit simplistic responses whereas tell me questions would
encourage the child to provide a more detailed response.
The researcher has reconsidered the questioning style and has tried to ensure that the
questions are as open-ended as possible and has avoided using the phrase, can you
think as much as possible.
Psychologist 4 was concerned that some of the questions were too lengthy and that
younger children may lose focus. Psychologist 3 questioned whether the language in
certain questions would be too difficult for 8 year-olds.
The researcher has simplified the questions so that they are easier to follow and has tried
to rephrase the questions more directly. The pilot study will help to determine whether 8
year-olds are in fact able to access the language and content effectively.
3.5.1.3

Content

Psychologists 3 and 4 observed that the scenarios were generally school-based and that
the assessment would therefore provide information regarding the childs functioning
mostly at school.
The aim of the EIAT is to understand the childs emotional processing using a series of
relevant scenarios, rather than to provide specific information regarding the childs

57

functioning in various circumstances. The researcher chose typically school-and peerbased scenarios to ensure the relevance of the situations to middle childhood.

The

original content of the scenarios could be analysed as follows:

School/work related:

Scenarios 1, 4, 6, 8 = 4

Peer related:

Scenarios 2, 3, 7, 9 = 4

Home related:

Scenario 5

=1

The researcher reconsidered the content of certain scenarios to ensure a better balance.
The revised scenarios can be described as follows:
School/work related:

Scenarios 1, 4, 6, 7 = 4

Peer related:

Scenarios 3, 8

=2

Home related:

Scenarios 2, 4, 5

=3

3.5.1.4

Layout/ format of test

Psychologist 1 suggested having enlarged, laminated copies for the testee to refer to,
thus enabling the visual learner or the child with auditory perceptual problems to access
the test more easily.

Psychologist 2 recommended the use of pictures to break the

monotony of the question-answer method.

The researcher now has enlarged copies of each scenario for inclusion in the assessment
procedure but has decided not to use pictures as they may be suggestive and provide the
testee with too much information.
3.5.1.5

Suitability of test

Psychologists 1, 2 and 3 were concerned about the suitability of the test for 8 year-old
children. The following reasons were provided:

The abstract nature of some of the questions

An 8 year-old may struggle with the language used in the scenarios.

The tester should be aware of the difference in the responses expected from an 8
year-old as opposed to an 11 year-old.

58

The researcher chose to include 8 year-olds in the pilot study to help determine the
suitability of the assessment for this particular age group. The researcher is fully aware
that an 8 year-old will not be able to manage certain questions.

The theoretical

component of this study explained that a requirement for a mental characteristic to

qualify as a standard form of intelligence is that it develops with age (Mayer, Perkins,
Caruso and Salovey 2001:133). Therefore the researcher expects a discrepancy between
the quality of responses provided by an 8 year-old testee as opposed to an 11 year-old.
Once the pilot study has been conducted, the researcher will be in a better position to
delineate suitable age groups for the EIAT.
Psychologist 1 also observed that the results of the test may be confounded by auditory
and language difficulties. A child who scores poorly in the EIAT may have had difficulties
accessing the test which then renders it an inaccurate reflection of his emotional
intelligence.
To determine the effect that auditory and language difficulties may have on the EIAT, the
researcher has included two subtests from the Senior South African Individual Scales Revised (SSAIS-R).

These subtests are comprehension and story memory.

The

comprehension subtest will provide information on the childs ability to respond verbally
to questions in a detailed, accurate manner. The story memory subtest will assess a
childs ability to retain and recall auditory information. As the EIAT relies on auditory
skills as well as language ability, these tests will provide an indication of the childs ability
in these two areas.
Psychologist 3 commented on the Eurocentric nature of the assessment and that the test
may favour children from this background.
The researcher acknowledges the Eurocentric slant of the test. However, the scenarios
include universal issues such as test taking, family discord and being accepted by a peer
group. The researcher has changed some of the names in the scenarios to ensure that
the EIAT is more culturally diverse. Mayer, Salovey, Caruso and Sitarenios (2001:234)
comment that a critical aspect of emotional information is its cross-cultural consistency.

59

This implies that emotional information and the capacity to understand it shows
universality across human beings.
3.5.1.6

Scoring

Psychologists 1, 2 and 4 criticised the scoring criteria as being vague. Their suggestion
was that examples of suitable responses should be included in the scoring.
The researcher recognizes the difficulty in scoring the EIAT and refers to Cobb and Mayer
(2000:16) who discuss the biggest challenge facing emotional intelligence theorists: that
of providing a clear scoring procedure.

They compare EQ assessments to IQ

assessments: standard IQ assessments are fairly straightforward to score, whereas

responses on an emotional intelligence assessment tend to be fuzzy with certain
answers being more correct or plausible than others.
Consensus scoring would enable the researcher to provide possible responses to each
question. However, consensus scoring is only possible once the assessment has been
administered to a wide sample group. At this stage, the researcher has included criteria
for scoring which provide an indication of the type of information expected from the
testee. The EIAT should rather be regarded as a qualitative assessment tool in which the
psychologist assesses the suitability of responses provided by the child.
3.5.1.7

Administering the assessment tool

Psychologist 3 was concerned that the test refers specifically to an educational

psychologist as being the most appropriate professional for administration of the test,
and questioned the assumption that emotional intelligence is an educational rather than a
clinical issue.
The researcher has changed the instructions and refers to the administrator of the test as
a psychologist.

The researcher has qualified the idea that educational psychologists

would be the most appropriate persons to administer the assessment because of their

60

specific training in child development. Since the scoring relies on professional discretion,
it suffices for the practitioner who administers the EIAT to have a working knowledge of
child development to adequately assess the suitability of the responses.
In addition, Psychologists 2 and 3 had reservations that psychologists would not have
adequate training in the Mayer/ Salovey EI model, and that this might hinder the
effective administration of the EIAT.
The researcher acknowledges this and if the assessment were standardised for use by
professionals, would consider including a detailed explanation of this model in the
manual.
Consultation of experts has indeed been worthwhile and has resulted in the EIAT being
modified to incorporate the comments and opinions of these professionals.
The EIAT will now be applied to 6 children between the ages of 8 and 11 years. Before
assessing each child, a parent interview will be conducted and the information will be
included in the assessment results of each child. The next section provides a summary of
these results and interprets the information obtained from the EIAT.

3.5.2

ASSESSMENT RESULTS

3.5.2.1

Introduction

The pilot study has involved the assessment of six children using the EIAT.

These

aspects were considered when choosing suitable candidates to assess:

A range of ages between 8-11 years.

This range will help determine the

suitability of the EIAT for different age groups.

An equal number of boys and girls to determine the suitability of the EIAT for both
genders.

The children assessed were not known by the researcher and purposive and
snowball sampling procedures were used (De Vos et al. 1998: 200).

61

The same methods were followed throughout: a parent interview was first
conducted, then each child was assessed on two subtests of the SSAIS-R to
indicate his/her verbal and auditory skills. This was followed by the assessment of
emotional intelligence using the EIAT.

Detailed results about two of the candidates will be presented; the results of the
other four candidates will be summarised due to length restraints. The scoring
sheets, the basis of the analysis for each candidate, will be included in Appendix G
and the summary of the parent interviews will be included in Appendix H. The
parent interviews are compared with the results achieved in the EIAT.

3.5.2.2

Testee One

3.5.2.2.1

Biographical information

Date of birth:

18 August 1994

Chronological Age:

10 years 0 months

Grade:

Date of assessment:

2 September 2004

3.5.2.2.2

Assessment results

(i) Behaviour during testing

Testee 1 displayed a positive approach to the test situation.

He responded to the

questions in a confident, spontaneous manner and as the test progressed, he related the
scenarios to his own life and willingly disclosed information about himself. He displayed a
relaxed disposition and was eager to please the tester.
(ii) Results from Senior South African Individual Scale Revised (SSAIS-R)
Comprehension:

Scaled Score

10

62

Testee 1 displays an average ability to respond to situational information and to express

himself verbally.

As the EIAT relies on the ability to respond appropriately to social

situations and to express oneself verbally, testee 1 may find it difficult to provide
detailed, fluent responses to the questions.
Story Memory:

Scaled Score

Testee 1s short-term auditory memory falls into the lower limits of average. This may
affect his ability to remember and process the auditory information presented to him in
the EIAT.
(iii) Results from EIAT
A. Perception, appraisal and expression of emotions
Assessment results
Testee 1 scored 100% in this section of the assessment.

He demonstrated an

understanding of emotional information received from the environment. He accurately

described the characters emotions, showed awareness of non-verbal expressions of
emotion (facial expressions and body language) and also related physiological signs to
emotional functioning. This displayed an understanding of both intrinsic and extrinsic
emotional information. He demonstrated a mature and appropriate manner of expressing
his emotions to others, both verbally and non-verbally. He recognised that emotional
responses are not necessarily genuine and that an outward expression of emotion may
differ from an inner experience of emotion. This will make his understanding of social
interactions easier and more meaningful.
Feedback from parental interview
Testee 1s mother confirmed that he was aware of emotional information and easily
recognised the emotions experienced by others.

She regarded him as a sensitive,

empathetic boy able to interpret emotional cues accurately.

This was evident in his

responses in the EIAT. She did comment that, although she encouraged her children to
discuss their emotions with her, Testee 1 did not open up easily. His comments in the

63

EIAT indicated however that he was aware of the importance of expressing his emotions
verbally. Despite this, he preferred communicating his emotions non-verbally.
B. Emotional facilitation of thinking
Assessment Results
Testee 1 scored 37,5% for this second branch, his lowest score which indicates that he
separates thoughts from feelings. In this section, he often misinterpreted the questions
and did not answer them explicitly.

He seemed unaware that emotions can direct,

prioritise and influence our thoughts. He tended to provide strategies for mood
improvement rather than connecting the characters feelings to the decisions or
judgments that were being made. He was able to recognise that moods can affect our
perspectives on a situation, but he was not aware that a mood can influence our specific
thinking style. He also struggled to connect the characters poor task completion to his
current mood. The fact that he did not connect emotional memories to a judgement of a
current situation shows that he is still developing his ability to anticipate situations based
on emotional information.
Feedback from parental interview
His mother tends to emphasise the cognitive, factual aspects when guiding him in making
decisions and in preparing him for difficult situations. In the EIAT, Testee 1 did not
spontaneously connect emotions to making decisions and forming judgments. He tended
to respond in a cognitive, factual manner.
C. Understanding and analysing emotions
Assessment Results
The third branch involves the ability to label emotions and to perceive relations between
labels. He scored 50% for this component. He was able to recognise similarities between
emotions: he commented that irritation, anger and despair all express a level of anger.
This branch is connected to a childs verbal ability and expects him to understand the
meaning of a range of emotional words. His ability to understand blended emotions is

64

still developing. He was able to correctly interpret the word eager but was uncertain of
the word despair. His ability to recognise conflicting emotions is still developing and he
focused on either positive or negative emotions only. He is beginning to understand the
sequential nature of emotions and observed that the girls mother no longer felt angry as
you cant stay angry forever, it has to end sometime.
Feedback from parental interview
His mother indicated that he does display an age-appropriate vocabulary and he can
differentiate between emotional labels. She acknowledged that he experienced complex
emotions and showed an awareness of the sequential nature of emotions and could
adjust his own emotions accordingly. In the EIAT, he was able to differentiate between
most emotional labels and understood that emotions did not remain constant throughout
a social interaction. His understanding of complex emotions is still developing.
D. Reflective regulation of Emotions
Assessment Results
Testee 1 scored 62,5% in this section. It was evident that he often avoids negative
emotional information and uses strategies which suppress these emotions, such as not
thinking about these feelings or distracting himself from them. He exhibited strategies
for detaching from negative feelings and engaging in positive ones. He was also aware
that certain emotions are typical to a situation.

His management of emotions is

developing and he is able to regulate his own emotions instead of relying on outside
agencies to assist him. Two examples of such strategies include distracting himself or
stopping to adjust his thoughts.

He uses of self-talk to improve his mood and

commented that the character should think happy thoughts or pretend that your
friends support you even when they dont.

His strategies were not always clearly

formulated: a remark like just forgetting about his bad feelings does not indicate how
he could achieve this.
Feedback from parental interview

65

His mother indicated that he is not open to negative emotions and will usually suppress
them.

This was evident in the EIAT, as he consistently dealt with negative emotions by

ignoring them. He is able to detach from negative emotions, usually preferring to deal
with his negative emotions privately. In the EIAT, he displayed independent, cognitive
strategies to either detach from negative emotions or to improve his mood.
(iv) Summary of results
The bar graph below summarises Testee 1s results. It indicates a discrepancy between
the different sub-skills in the emotional intelligence spectrum. Perception, appraisal and
expression are highly developed; emotional facilitation of thinking is poorly developed;
and understanding and analysing emotions, together with reflective regulation of
emotions, are adequately developed. This discrepancy in scores may affect Testee 1s
ability to use emotional information meaningfully.

Although his awareness and

perception of emotional information is well-developed, he may not be able to adequately

use this information for making decisions and judgements. He may also find it difficult to
recognise the emotional nuances which characterise more astute emotional functioning.
There is potential for further development of his reflective regulation of emotions. This
would mean an improvement in handling emotions effectively to aid performance and
personal functioning, with particular emphasis on developing his openness to a range of
emotions.

Summary of EIAT Results

100.0%
100.0%
80.0%

62.5%
50.0%

60.0%
37.5%

40.0%
20.0%
0.0%

Perception Appraisal

Emotional Facilitation of

Understanding & Analysing

Reflective Regulation of

Expression

Thinking

Emotions

Emotions

Branches of Emotional Intelligence

66

3.5.2.2.3

Recommendations and Conclusions

1. Testee 1 displayed a sensitive, empathetic disposition and an awareness of

emotional information.
2. He should be encouraged to make use of this emotional information to aid his
thinking skills. This can be easily achieved by asking him to consider how he feels
about a decision.
3. His verbal skills could be further developed to facilitate the expression of his
emotions and the linking of emotional information to relationships and situations.
The diversity of his emotional vocabulary should be increased; a wide ranging
vocabulary ensures accurate perception and expression.
4. His independent regulatory strategies are developing adequately.
encouraged to experience his negative emotions.

He should be

By making him aware of the

concept that emotions are messengers, it may reduce his anxiety about expressing
these emotions more openly.
3.5.2.3

Testee Two

3.5.2.3.1

Biographical information

Date of birth:

14 June 1993

Chronological Age:

11 years 3 months

Grade:

Date of assessment:

30 September 2004

3.5.2.3.2

Assessment results

(i) Behaviour during testing

Testee 2 appeared to be quiet and introverted and made little spontaneous conversation
with the tester throughout the assessment. She spoke very softly and her responses
were usually quite brief. She also needed to be prompted to provide more detail. She

67

relaxed a little when given positive feedback from the tester and when she felt more
certain of the procedure.
(ii) Results from Senior South African Individual Scale Revised (SSAIS-R)
Comprehension

Scaled Score

14

Testee 2 falls into the superior range for comprehension.

Her ability to respond to

situational information in an eloquent, sophisticated manner will be an advantage when

answering the EIAT questions.
Story Memory

Scaled Score

11

Her short-term memory falls into the average range, indicating that she may find it
difficult to remember and process vast amounts of auditory information effectively. The
discrepancy between her comprehension and short-term memory scores indicate that her
anxiety may have affected her ability to recall story details effectively; the score for story
memory is possibly not indicative of her actual ability.
(iii) Results from EIAT
A. Perception, appraisal and expression of emotions
Assessment results
Testee 2 scored 87,5% in this section of the assessment. She demonstrated an astute
ability to understand emotional information received from the environment, and was
aware of a wide range of verbal and non-verbal emotional cues (tone of voice, facial
expressions and body language). She is also aware of physiological signals of emotions.
She was able to express her emotions verbally by telling others how and why she felt a
particular way yet her ability to discriminate between emotions was inconsistent. She
correctly identified a non-genuine emotional response when a characters expressed
emotion was contradicted by her actions. On the other hand, in a different vignette, she
did not recognise that a persons outer emotions may differ from their inner emotions:
she tended to respond to the explicit show of emotion.
Feedback from parental interview

68

Her mother regards her as emotionally competent and able to respond to emotional
information quickly and easily. Her mother also confirmed her ability to recognise nonverbal cues as being well developed. In the EIAT Testee 2 demonstrated competence in
recognising both verbal and non-verbal emotional information. Her mother discussed her
daughters strong verbal ability which allowed for precise expression of emotions
although she does need to be prompted to express negative emotions. In the EIAT, she
seemed aware of the need to verbalise her emotions to others. Her mother felt that she
was able to correctly appraise emotional information but according to the EIAT, this skill
is still developing.
B. Emotional facilitation of thinking
Assessment Results
Testee 2 scored 75% for this second branch.

This indicates that she is aware that

emotions can influence thinking. She recognised that the characters decision would be
based on the way she felt about the two choices. She was however not able to connect
decision-making consistently to the way the character felt. She was aware that emotional
memories can influence judgments but did not link the characters mood change to a
change in perspective. This inconsistency indicates that her ability to connect emotions
to thinking is not well established at this stage. She was able to connect the effect of
mood on reasoning, and observed that the character should stop, relax and then write
the poem when he is feeling happier.
Feedback from parental interview
Her mother indicated that Testee 2 makes decisions based on what would best suit her.
Her mother tries to encourage her to think of others feelings when making decisions.
From the EIAT, it seems that Testee 2 will consider her feelings when making decisions
although this may not yet be an established pattern. Her mother did indicate that she
usually makes judgments and decisions on a rational level and considers her feelings last.
Her ability to connect emotions to decisions in the EIAT confirmed that her daughter is
aware of emotional influence but she possibly does not always pay attention to this

69

information when making decisions, or is not consciously aware of its influence on this
process.
C. Understanding and analysing emotions
Assessment Results
The third branch involves the ability to label emotions and to perceive relations between
labels. She scored 75% for this component in which her well-developed verbal skills were
evident.

She could provide detailed, clear explanations of the meanings of blended

emotions and was able to correctly differentiate between similar emotions.

The only

word that she could not adequately explain was despair but she nevertheless made use
of contextual clues to determine a basic understanding of the word. She displayed a
sound grasp of complex emotions and was able to recognise that the character was
feeling nervous, worried and happy at the same time.
sequential nature of emotions is still developing.

Her ability to recognise the

She did not clearly explain how a

change in circumstance can lead to a change in emotions.

Feedback from parental interview
Her mother did not think that Testee Two would be able to differentiate between similar
emotions or explain blended emotions adequately. In the EIAT, her daughter seemed
competent in explaining these emotions.

Her mother reported that Testee 2 does

experience conflicting emotions and does not express a range of varying emotions. This
skill was confirmed in the EIAT.

Her mother confirmed that she was aware of the

sequential nature of emotions and that she was able to adjust her emotions to a
situation. Although this might be the case, her understanding of the sequential nature of
emotions is a little inconsistent.
D. Reflective regulation of emotions
Assessment Results
Testee 2 scored 75% in this section.

Her observation that negative emotions would

make sure that he learns everything, was evidence that she recognised the importance

70

of paying attention to negative emotions. She was able to monitor her emotions and
could recognise the value of either detaching from or engaging in an emotion to aid task
performance.

Her emotional regulation strategies seemed to be independent and

included cognitive, self-soothing and behavioural strategies. She was therefore making
use of a variety of strategies. Her cognitive strategies involved telling herself that she
should continue with the rest of the test and not worry about the questions she did not
know. Self-soothing strategies involved relaxing, but she did not always explain how she
would relax. Behavioural strategies included reading the lines for the audition to reduce
anxiety.
Feedback from parental interview
Her mother indicated that she is open to negative emotions especially when they will lead
to goal fulfilment. She tends to experience emotions very intensely and at times this
intensity is inappropriate. She is able to detach from negative emotions for instance, she
is able to perform well in tests even though she gets very nervous. Her ability to remain
open to negative emotions, monitor emotions and detach or engage in emotions was
evident in the EIAT. Her mother commented that she prefers to have some time on her
own when experiencing negative emotions.

According to her mother, when her

daughters emotions do build up, she tends to express them very strongly. When her
mother gives her guidance on handling her emotions, she does accept the advice. The
EIAT did not reflect the intensity of her emotions but did confirm that she has a variety of
independent coping strategies.
(iv)

Summary of results

The bar graph below provides a summary of Testee 2s results. She has scored highly in
all four branches and her skills are developing evenly. The strength of her scores may be
attributed to the fact that she is the oldest testee and is more developmentally advanced.
At this stage, the scoring is not differentiated and she has therefore scored high in all
four areas. Her well-developed expressive language skills may also contribute to her high
scores.

Her highest score was for perception, expression and appraisal where she

demonstrated a variety of verbal and non-verbal cues to perceiving emotions and

71

expressing emotions. She scored 75% for the other three branches. She displayed an
ability to use emotions to aid thinking, a competent understanding of emotional labels,
and a range of suitable, independent coping strategies to manage her emotions.

Summary of EIAT Results

100.0%

87.5%
75.0%

75.0%

75.0%

Emotional Facilitation
of Thinking

Understanding &
Analysing Emotions

Reflective Regulation
of Emotions

80.0%
60.0%
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%

Perception Appraisal
Expression

Branches of Emotional Intelligence

3.5.2.3.3

Recommendations and Conclusions

1. Testee 2 displays an understanding of emotional information and uses a variety of

suitable strategies to perceive, express and manage emotions.
2. Her verbal ability is well-developed and she displays an understanding of abstract
concepts. The continued development of her verbal skills will positively influence
her emotional intelligence skills.
3. Her ability to distinguish between genuine and non-genuine displays of emotion
should be further developed, as well as her awareness that there is sometimes a
difference between inner and outer displays of emotion. Being made aware of
insincere displays of emotions will further develop this skill.
4. Testee 2 uses emotions to aid her thinking, however if she were made more aware
of the importance of considering emotions in making decisions and judgments, this
skill would become even more useful to her.
5. Her ability to monitor the intensity of her emotions and to independently
determine whether the intensity is suitable for a particular situation should be

72

encouraged. The awareness that her emotional display is inappropriate will help
her to monitor her own emotional intensity.
In the interests of brevity, the results for the other four candidates will be presented in a
tabular format.
3.5.2.4

Testee Three

3.5.2.4.1

Biographical information

Date of birth:

8 May 1995

Chronological Age:

9 years 3 months

Grade:

Date of assessment:

31 August 2004

3.5.2.4.2
(i)

Assessment Results

Behaviour during testing

She was anxious initially and her responses were brief. She tended to stammer when
anxious and this effected her ability to express herself. At times she needed answers
repeated and throughout the assessment she needed confirmation from the tester. She
seemed anxious about incorrect answers.
(ii)

SSAIS-R Results

Comprehension: Scaled Score of 12.

She falls into the high average range for

comprehension, indicating an adequate ability to respond to situational information and

express herself verbally.
Story memory: Scaled Score 11. Her short term memory skills are average and she may
find it difficult to remember and process vast amounts of auditory information.
(iii)

Results from EIAT

73
EQ Branch

Score

Interpretation of results

Branch 1:
Perception,

Able to correctly identify the characters

Parent feedback

feelings and relate them to situation.

75%

Appraisal

and
Expression

More aware of overt signs of emotion

Makes use of non-verbal

cues to understand

Aware of physiological indicators of

emotions.

Her responses did not include

spontaneous verbal expressions

aware.

such as verbal or behavioural signs.

emotion.

of emotion

Sensitive & emotionally

Battles to express
emotions verbally.

Tends to accept

Still developing ability to differentiate

emotions on face

between genuine and false displays of

value.

emotion.

Branch 2:
Emotional

Able to connect current mood to others

perceptions & judgments.

62,5%

facilitation

of thinking

Aware that emotional memories can

Responds to events in a
cognitive manner.

Mother encourages her

influence current perceptions.

to take her feelings into

Not spontaneously making use of

account when making a

emotions to guide decision making.

decision.

Aware that a persons mood would

influence his/her reasoning styles.

Her mother prepares her

for an event by
discussing emotions.

Branch 3:
Understand

50%

& Analyse
emotions

Difficulty in explaining emotional blends

Her vocabulary is still

such as despair and eagerness.

developing. This would

Difficulty in differentiating between similar

affect her ability to

emotional words.

accurately explain and

Displayed an understanding of the

distinguish between

sequence of emotions.

words

Was aware that a person can experience

conflicting emotions simultaneously.

Able to adapt emotions

to suit the situation.

Experiences conflicting
emotions.

Branch 4:
Reflective

order to reach a goal.

75%

regulation
of emotions

Willing to accept negative emotions in

Awareness that certain emotions are

Tends to suppress
negative emotions.

Able to detach from

typical to a situation.

negative emotions and

Able to detach from negative emotions in

takes things in her

order to successfully complete a task.

stride.

74

Used the strategy of forgetting about

Mother provides her with

negative emotions but did not explain

guidance in how to

how she could achieve this.

handle her emotions,

Strategies included soothing herself and

especially developing

building up her own confidence. Able to

positive self-talk.

employ internal, cognitive strategies.

3.5.2.4.3

Recommendations and Conclusions

1. Testee 3 demonstrated an awareness of emotional information and her responses

indicated that she makes use of this within her daily life.
2. She should be encouraged to verbalise her emotions, as this will develop her ability
to express herself eloquently and will allow others to understand her emotional
responses to situations. Her mothers ability to provide a non-threatening emotional
support system should be nurtured as this will encourage further development of
her emotional intelligence skills.
3. Her emotional vocabulary should be expanded to provide her with the tools to
express herself more explicitly.
4. She is beginning to use her emotions to support her judgments and decisions. At
this stage, she is using this skill automatically. She should be made aware of these
skills to optimise their effectiveness in guiding her thoughts.
5. Testee 3 should be encouraged to use independent, cognitive methods to regulate
emotions. She should also be encouraged to remain receptive to difficult, negative
emotions. She should be made aware that sharing her emotions can be another
effective strategy in regulating emotional information.
3.5.2.5

TESTEE FOUR

3.5.2.5.1

Biographical information

Date of birth:

15 July 1996

Chronological Age:

8 years 3 months

Grade:

75

Date of assessment:
3.5.2.5.2
(i)

14 October 2004

Assessment Results

Behaviour during testing

He was a little anxious initially but willing to participate and answer questions. He often
needed to be prompted to provide further detail to his answers. He became restless near
the end of the assessment.
(ii)

SSAIS-R Results

Comprehension: Scaled Score 11: An average ability to express himself verbally and
understand social situations.
Story memory: Scaled Score 4: Underdeveloped auditory memory skills. He will find it
difficult to remember aural information.
(iii)

Results from EIAT

EQ Branch

Score

Interpretation of results

Branch 1:
Perception,

37,5%

Appraisal

and
Expression

Parent feedback

Tended to provide feeling words that

Perceptive to emotions.

were not appropriate to the situation.

Very vocal and quite

Awareness of outer indicators of emotion

volatile when expressing

such as crying, verbalising.

emotions.

Unaware of non-verbal & physiological

indicators of emotion.

of emotion

Not yet able to recognise insincere

Vocabulary is not ageappropriate.

Can recognise and

expressions of emotion. Regards outer

correctly interpret facial

displays of emotion as accurate &

expressions on mother.

genuine.

Accepts emotions at face

value.

Branch 2:
Emotional

25%

facilitation
of thinking

Not able to connect emotions to decision

Makes decisions

making & judgments.

impulsively and does not

Not connecting a persons mood to

consider consequences.

behaviour and thinking.

Mother encourages him

Not able to use emotional memories to

to think of options

guide current perceptions.

beforehand.

76

Not connecting emotions to reasoning.

Inconsistent in providing suitable

consider possible options

emotions to explain a situation.

to prepare him for a

Encourages him to

situation.

Branch 3:
Understand

Difficulty in explaining emotional blends.

Difficulty in differentiating between similar

similarity/ difference

emotional words.

between emotions.

37.5%

& Analyse
emotions

Branch 4:
25%

regulation
of emotions

sequence of emotions.

Reflective

Displayed an understanding of the

No clear understanding of conflicting

emotions.

Needs guidance in
adjusting his emotions to

time.

suit the situation.

Tends to ignore and suppress negative

Willing to remain open to

emotions.

emotions and does not

Relies on others to help him detach from

suppress how he feels.

He would need guidance

Ability to monitor emotions is still

in detaching from

developing. He recognised that some

negative emotions.

emotions are typical for the situation but

Not aware of conflicting

emotions. Focused on one emotion at a

negative emotions.

Not yet able to explain

Tends to deal with

could not predict what would happen if he

emotions in a volatile

did not detach from these emotions.

manner. It is difficult to

Starting to make use of cognitive

get him to talk about his

strategies but he generally relied on

emotions.

others to help him.

3.5.2.5.3 Recommendations and Conclusions

1. Testee 4 was the youngest candidate and possibly has not reached the
developmental milestones expected for the EIAT assessment. His results should
be interpreted with caution as the scoring has not been differentiated by age. The
EIAT has a bias towards older candidates.
2. His standardised score for story memory indicated difficulty in processing auditory
information. As the EIAT relies on verbal and auditory proficiency, his EIAT scores
are possibly influenced by his short-term memory difficulties. Auditory processing
difficulties should be further investigated.

77

3. Parent guidance would make his parents aware of how to foster and develop his
emotional intelligence skills.
4. His ability to express himself and make use of appropriate feeling words should be
further developed to assist him in making appropriate verbal responses instead of
reacting with volatile behaviour.
5. He should be guided to develop independent strategies for handling difficult
emotions.

These strategies could include positive self-talk and self-soothing

strategies.

At present, he still relies on others to monitor and moderate his

moods. Better strategies will develop with age and appropriate parental guidance.
3.5.2.6

Testee Five

3.5.2.6.1

Biographical information

Date of birth:

28 October 1994

Chronological Age:

10 years 0 months

Grade:

Date of assessment:

2 November 2004

3.5.2.6.2
(i)

Assessment Results

Behaviour during testing

She was both willing and enthusiastic throughout the assessment.

She answered

questions confidently and with self-assurance. She displayed no anxiety throughout the
assessment and provided detailed, insightful responses.
(ii)

SSAIS-R Results

Comprehension: Scaled Score 16: A superior ability to understand social situations and to
express herself verbally.
Story memory: Scaled Score 12: Her short term memory is adequately developed, but
she may find it challenging to process large volumes of auditory information.

78

(iii) Results form EIAT

EQ Branch

Score

Interpretation of results

Branch 1:
Perception,

Used a range of feeling words that were

Parent feedback

contextually appropriate.
87,5%

Appraisal
and

Expression
of emotion

Displayed an ability to recognise

Very sensitive to
emotional information.

Displays an empathetic

emotional information from the

understanding towards

environment.

others.

Recognised non-verbal cues and

Family encourage

physiological symptoms that signal

openness to discuss and

emotion.

share emotions.

Willingness to express emotions verbally.

Able to distinguish between genuine and

the difference between

false displays of emotions.

inner and outer displays

Recognises a difference between inner

of emotion.

Not able to understand

and outer displays of emotion.

Branch 2:
Emotional

62,5%

facilitation
of thinking

Aware that emotions can aid decision

Considers her feelings

making, but not consistent in connecting

and the feelings of

emotions to the decisions.

others when making a

Aware that emotional memories can

decision.

influence current judgments.

Openly discusses a new

Not consistent in relating moods to

situation. Mother

current perspectives and behaviour.

explains the feelings

Not connecting emotions to reasoning.

associated with a new

Able to provide suitable emotions to

situation.

explain a situation.

Branch 3:
Understand
& Analyse

87,5%

emotions

Can explain emotional blends and

Not able to distinguish

distinguish between words that were

between similar

similar.

emotions.

Aware of the sequential nature of

Vocabulary is not

emotions and can adjust emotions to suit

sophisticated, speaks

the current situation.

two languages at home.

Recognised conflicting emotions in

characters.

Still developing ability to

adjust mood to suit the
situation.

Mother indicates that

she does experience
conflicting emotion.

Willingness to remain open to negative

Tends to suppress

79
Branch 4:
Reflective

87,5%

regulation

of emotions

emotions for goal achievement.

emotions. Does not want

Able to detach from/engage in emotions

to burden parents with

that will aid successful task completion.

her feelings.

Inconsistent ability to monitor emotions.

She was able to predict the effect of

negative emotions on performance.

emotions through play.

Can recognise that certain emotions are

typical to a situation.

Often expresses

Mother encourages her

to discuss her emotions.

When determined, she is

Uses self-talk to boost confidence and

able to detach from

reduce anxiety. Tended to use cognitive,

emotions to reach a

self-soothing, independent strategies to

goal.

manage emotions.

3.5.2.6.3

Recommendations and Conclusions

1. Testee 5 displayed a good understanding of emotional information which also guides

her performance and activities.
2. Her verbal skills are well-developed: she expressed herself confidently and eloquently,
possibly resulting in her competence and understanding of all four emotional
branches.
3. Her mothers ability to guide her emotions through open expression and effective
strategies should be encouraged as this will further develop her emotional intelligence
abilities.
4. Her ability to express her emotions through verbal interaction, and her skilful use of
cognitive, independent strategies in detaching from negative emotions are
commendable.
3.5.2.7

Testee Six

3.5.2.7.1

Biographical information

Date of birth:

26 September 1995

Chronological Age:

9 years 0 months

Grade:

80

Date of assessment:
3.5.2.7.2
(i)

23 October 2004

Assessment Results

Behaviour during testing

He was little anxious initially and needed prompting to provide detailed answers. He was
co-operative and worked with the tester yet tended to stammer when anxious.
(ii)

SSAIS-R Results:

Comprehension: Scaled Score 13: A well-developed expressive language ability and

awareness of social situations.
Story memory: Scaled Score 11: An average short- term memory ability.
(iii) Results from EIAT
EQ Branch

Score

Interpretation of results

Branch 1:
Perception,

100%

Displayed an ability to recognise

Perceptive to emotions.

emotional information from the

Able to verbalise

environment.

Appraisal

Parent feedback

and

Made use of a variety of non-verbal cues

emotions.

to express and appraise emotions.

Expression
of emotion

Aware of physiological signs as emotional

cues to emotions.

Makes use of body

signals.

language & facial

Appropriate response to situations,

expressions.

willingness to verbalise emotions.

Recognises non-verbal

Can accurately interpret

emotions.

Able to discriminate between genuine and

insincere displays of emotions.

Branch 2:
Emotional

50%

Aware that emotional memories influence

Branch 3:

Makes decisions
methodically.

current judgments.

of thinking

& Analyse

decision making & judgments.

facilitation

Understand

Not consistent in connecting emotions to

Takes emotions into

account.

Does not relate emotions to reasoning.

Able to provide suitable emotions to

decisions that make you

explain a situation.

happy.

Difficulty in explaining emotional blends.

Able to differentiate between similar

difference between

emotional words.

emotions.

37.5%

Inconsistent understanding of the

Mother focuses on

Able to explain similarity/

Experiences conflicting

81
emotions

sequence of emotions.

Not a clear understanding of conflicting

emotions.

emotions. Focused on one emotion.

Branch 4:
Reflective

Remains open to negative emotions.

Able to detach/ engage in emotions that

62,5%

will hamper/aid successful task

regulation

a change in emotions.

Inconsistent ability to monitor emotions

Able to detach from

negative emotions.

Accepts guidance in
handling emotions.

and recognise whether emotions are

typical to the situation.

Willing to remain open to

emotions.

completion.

of emotions

Able to adjust, based on

Used cognitive, independent, self-

Likes to talk and share

his emotions.

soothing, strategies to manage emotions.

3.5.2.7.3

Recommendations and Conclusions

1. Testee 6 was able to recognise and understand emotional information.

He

expressed his emotions appropriately and remained receptive to a range of

emotional information.
2. There was a discrepancy between his mothers perceptions of his emotional
intelligence, and the skills he demonstrated in the assessment.

His mothers

perception indicated a good understanding of most of the skills.

He displayed

some of the skills but battled to explain his knowledge and understanding of them.
Anxiety may have affected his performance in the EIAT.
3. His age should be taken into account when interpreting the EIAT results; his
emotional understanding is possibly developmentally appropriate.
4. His awareness of emotions in aiding decision-making should be further developed.
He may be a little indecisive at times: his mother commented that he makes
decisions slowly and methodically. Using emotional information may optimise his
decision-making process.
5. The further extension of emotional vocabulary including blends and complex
emotions will help him express his emotions more accurately.
6. He displayed a good range of strategies to manage his emotions. His willingness
to discuss and seek guidance will ensure that these skills continue to develop and
improve.

82

The following section will summarise the results obtained from the different testees and
will interpret these results to determine the effectiveness of the EIAT in assessing
emotional intelligence. Any aspects which may interfere with the results achieved will
also be discussed.
3.5.3 Summary and Interpretation of Results
3.5.3.1 Comparison of Testees scores

Comparison of Testee's scores

100.0%
80.0%

81%

78.0%
66.0%

63.0%

63%

60.0%
31.0%

40.0%
20.0%
0.0%

Testee 1

Testee 2

Testee 3

Testee 4

Testee 5

Testee 6

Total Scores for EIAT

The graph above indicates the total score achieved by each candidate.

These were

achieved by adding the totals of all four branches to receive a score out of 32. This total
was then converted into a percentage which in turn has been rounded to the nearest ten.
The advantage of this total score is that it allows the researcher to compare the different
testees scores and to make assumptions regarding contributory factors such as age,
gender, parental information and the influence of SSAIS-R on the testees performance.
Testee 5 scored the highest in the EIAT. In the SSAIS-R she scored in the upper superior
range for comprehension indicating a competent ability to express herself in a coherent,
logical manner. Testee 2, who scored the second highest total, also demonstrated a
strong verbal ability in the SSAIS-R. Both testee 5 and 2 scored in the average range for
story memory but seemed able to recall and process the aural information presented to
them. Testee 4 scored a significantly lower score on the EIAT. His scores on the SSAIS-

83

R indicated specific difficulties with short-term auditory memory and average expressive
language ability.

These difficulties may have affected his ability to understand and

respond appropriately to the questions in the EIAT.

This indicates a possible

correspondence between the results from the subtests of the SSAIS-R and the testees
ability to respond to the EIAT.
Testee 4 was the youngest candidate assessed. Because the skills are developmentally
arranged, his age may have affected his ability to respond appropriately to the EIAT
questions. However, Testee 5 was 1 year 3 months younger than Testee 2 but the
overall score of the latter was higher. Testees 1, 3 and 6 six were similar in age and so
were their overall scores. This indicates that age possibly influences the results, but that
verbal and aural ability are more influential. An age-differentiated scoring sheet would
make the scoring a little fairer.
Testee 4s parents did not demonstrate a parenting style which encouraged the
development of emotional intelligence skills. His mother did not show either that she
discussed feelings with her son or assisted him in recognising emotional information. She
seemed uncertain of suitable strategies to cope with emotions and attributed his
responses to his age. Testee 5s mother indicated that she spent a lot of time talking to
her daughter and guiding her emotional intelligence. This possibly influenced her high
overall score. Testee 3s mother likewise demonstrated an understanding of emotional
intelligence. Parental input is a possible contributory factor to higher scores on the EIAT.
It is difficult to assess gender differences considering the childrens differing ages. The
information is therefore inconclusive at this stage. Testee 1 (male) and 5 (female) were
the same age and testee 5 scored significantly higher than testee 1. However, testee 3
(female) and testee 6 (male) had similar ages and scores. Both girls and boys could
relate to the EIAT scenarios and so the test did not seem unfairly biased towards one
gender.
This has provided an overview of the EIAT results and discussed the factors which may
have contributed towards the final results. The next discussion compares subtest results
to determine whether each component was adequately assessed.

84

3.5.3.2 Comparison of subtest scores on the EIAT

Comparison of Sub-Test Scores

100.0%

81.0%

80.0%
52.0%

60.0%

56.0%

65.0%

40.0%
20.0%
0.0%

Perception Appraisal
Expression

Emotional Facilitation
of Thinking

Understanding &
Analysing Emotions

Reflective Regulation
of Emotions

Branches of Emotional Intelligence

The graph above depicts the overall results for each branch of the EIAT. These scores
were achieved by adding together each candidates scores for each separate branch
assessed in the EIAT. As there were six candidates and each branch scored 8 points, the
total score was out of 48. This score was then converted to a percentage and rounded
off to the nearest ten. The researcher can use this information to compare the results of
each branch and determine the effectiveness of the EIAT in accurately assessing each
branch of emotional intelligence. Developmental aspects and parental involvement were
factors which had a bearing on the final results.
Perception, Appraisal and Expression of emotions received the highest overall score in the
EIAT. As this is considered the most basic skill in emotional intelligence, it is acceptable
that this score exceeded that of the other branches. The candidates generally displayed
competence in recognising both verbal and non-verbal emotional information and were
aware of the physiological signs which signal emotion.

The ability to discriminate

between genuine and false displays of emotion is the most complex skill and the results
were inconsistent. Saarni (Bar-On & Parker 2000:76) indicates that between the ages of
10-13 years, children develop the ability to distinguish between genuine and managed

85

displays of emotion.

Therefore candidates assessed in the EIAT are apparently still

developing this ability.

Emotional facilitation of thinking received the lowest score in the EIAT. The questions
included tended to be vague and many of the candidates misinterpreted them. This was
evident in Scenario 3 where questions 2 and 3 asked for similar information and most of
the children misinterpreted what was required in these questions. Only one candidate
responded correctly to question 2 and one other to question 3. This indicates that the
questions in this section need to be rephrased. According to the parent interviews, most
parents did not emphasise the role that emotions play in making decisions and
judgements.

Emphasis was placed on considering the facts of a situation.

Parental

influence can be seen as impacting on their childrens decision making abilities.

Understanding and analysing emotions achieved a similar score to that of the second
branch. Certain questions need to be reformulated, as the candidates were not able to
respond correctly.

None of the candidates were able to explain the word despair

correctly. The questions which targeted the sequential understanding of emotions were
unclear and difficult to score.

These questions may need to be reformulated.

competent language ability is a prerequisite for managing the questions in this section.
Testee 2 and 5 scored in the superior and above range for comprehension and scored
significantly better than the other testees in this branch.

This reveals a possible

correlation between verbal ability and the understanding and analysing of emotions.
The second highest score was achieved for the final branch of the EIAT, the reflective
regulation of emotions. The testees displayed the ability to use cognitive, independent
strategies to detach from or engage in emotions. Most of the candidates displayed a
variety of strategies. Testee 2, the oldest candidate, displayed the greatest variety of
strategies, indicating that age appears to influence the diversity of strategies available to
the individual. The ability to remain open to emotional experiences received inconsistent
results. The general perception is that negative emotions should not be expressed and
are not useful to performance. This perception is possibly culturally reinforced: although
most parents expressed an openness to accept negative emotions, comments such as,

86

she suppresses these emotions as she does not want to burden us (parents) with
negative emotions, indicate that negative emotions are not willingly accepted.
This concludes the summary of the results. The summary has aimed at combining the
results from the different testees in order to determine possible patterns, themes,
influences and difficulties with the EIAT.

This information will aid the researcher in

amending and extending the EIAT prior to the assessment being used on a larger
population sample.

3.6

CONCLUSION

The aim of Chapter 3 has been to explain the empirical research conducted by the
researcher. The first part of the chapter explained the research methods implemented,
the measuring tools used and the sample group selected. The second part provided a
summary of the empirical research conducted. This included the feedback received from
the psychologists and explained the amendments made to the EIAT to accommodate this
feedback. It then provided a detailed summary of the results of the pilot study which
involved the assessment of six candidates and the interviewing of their parents. The
results were analysed and interpreted to ensure that maximum information was obtained
from the EIAT.
Chapter 4 will be the concluding chapter of this dissertation. It will reflect on whether
the researcher has resolved the initial research problem detailed in Chapter One. The
literature review as well as the empirical research conducted will be taken into account.
The chapter will discuss the limitations of the study, aspects for possible improvement or
extension as well as opportunities for further research of this topic.

87

88

CHAPTER 4
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
The final chapter of this dissertation summarises the literature review, and the results of
the empirical research project and determines whether the initial research question,
which guided the project, has been adequately explored.

The final chapter will also

provide conclusions and recommendations regarding further research in this field.

4.2 SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH QUESTION

The research question of Chapter One guided this dissertation therefore in concluding
this dissertation it is necessary to revisit this question to determine whether the research
has adequately answered the initial enquiry. The research question asks:

Can a performance-based assessment, designed by the researcher, provide valuable

information to an educational psychologist with regards to the emotional intelligence of a
client in middle childhood?

To ascertain the research projects impact on the initial research question, the researcher
has formulated six questions which break down the question into various issues. Each
question will be discussed and will include a summary of the literature review and
empirical research, followed by the research project findings. Specific recommendations
will conclude each section. Each question will now be discussed in turn.
4.2.1 Can the EIAT be regarded as a performance-based assessment tool?
4.2.1.1

Summary

The EIAT is based on an ability-based model of emotional intelligence as advocated by

Mayer and Salovey (Salovey & Sluyter 1997: 10).

The literature review provided a

detailed explanation of the ability-based model to reflect the researchers understanding

89

of the concept.

In essence, the ability-based model regards emotions as a form of

intelligence and advocates that assessments should determine the individuals actual
ability to perform well at mental tasks instead of self-report methods which assess
perceived ability (Bar-On & Parker 2000:325). As discussed in the literature review, three
criteria should be considered in order for an assessment to be considered a performancebased assessment tool based on an ability-based model (Salovey & Schutte 1997:10).

The actual ability should be assessed and not personal qualities.

The assessment tool should assess the application of the ability.

The assessment should aim at connecting the various abilities discussed in the
Mayer/Salovey model.

4.2.1.2

Findings

The capacity of the EIAT to fulfil these three criteria was assessed in the pilot testing
of a small sample group. The following findings were made:

The EIAT is composed of four sections which aim to assess the four hierarchical
tiers in the Mayer and Salovey model (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10).

Specific

questions target the skills from each tier. This aims at assessing the actual rather
than a perceived ability. From the pilot study, it was evident that certain questions
which were vague, elicited unclear responses from the testees. This made it
difficult to establish the testees ability.

Coupled with this, questions were not

evenly distributed over the various skills included in the Mayer & Salovey model
(Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10). As a result certain skills were emphasised more than
others.

Application of ability was assessed: the testees were asked to respond to particular
social dilemmas.

Their responses were guided by specific questions which

targeted particular skills.

In the EIAT, the four different abilities were assessed separately using different
vignettes. Although certain questions did recap skills from previous sections, the

90

test tended to be quite compartmentalised.

This may have produced a

fragmented rather than an integrated view.

In order for the EIAT to adequately fulfil the criteria as a performance-based
assessment tool, the following recommendations should be considered.
4.2.1.3

Recommendations

The researcher would need to reformulate certain questions to ensure that the
actual skill is being assessed adequately.

Every skill in the Mayer & Salovey model (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10) should be
assessed evenly across the board with no emphasis on a particular skill.

The integration of the various components of the EIAT could be achieved by

including questions from the different components instead of from one particular
component in isolation.

4.2.2 Does the EIAT accurately assess an ability-based model of emotional

intelligence?
4.2.2.1

Summary

The literature study focussed on an ability-based model of emotional intelligence as

described by Mayer & Salovey (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10). The four branches of this
model were explained in detail to show that the researcher had a thorough grasp of
these components before designing the EIAT. These four components formed the basis
of the EIAT. The components discussed in the literature review and included in the EIAT
were the following:
The ability to perceive accurately, appraise and express emotion.
The ability to access and/or generate feelings to facilitate thought.
The ability to understand emotion and emotional knowledge.
The ability to regulate emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth.

91

The findings will discuss the ability of the EIAT to accurately assess these four
components and in so doing provide information on an ability-based model in emotional
intelligence.
4.2.2.2

Findings

Perception, Appraisal and Expression of emotions: The EIAT focussed

attention on the perception and expression of emotions in human relationships and
did not consider emotions in artwork, sounds and designs as included in the
Mayer/Salovey model (Salovey, Brackett & Mayer 2004: 37). The EIAT was able
to provide information on the perception, appraisal and expression of emotions
both verbally and non-verbally on both an intrapsychic and interpsychic level.

Emotional facilitation of thinking: The EIAT did not successfully assess this
component of emotional intelligence. The questions were ambiguous and did not
generate relevant information.

Most testees found it difficult to relate to the

concept that emotions prioritised thinking and aided judgement and memory. The
questions devised to assess multiple points of view and problem-solving
approaches were adequately formulated but the responses required considerable
interpretation from the administrator.

Understanding and Analysing emotions: The EIAT was able to determine the
testees ability to make use of a range of emotional labels in an appropriate
manner.

Questions which assessed complex emotions and emotional blends

elicited relevant information. Questions which assessed the sequential nature of

emotions did not provide enough information from the testee.

Reflective regulation of emotions: The EIAT was able to provide information

on the testees ability to remain open to a range of emotions and assessed the
testees individual approach to handling emotional information. The ability to
engage in or detach from an emotion, depending on its usefulness, was not
adequately assessed and further investigation of this skill is necessary.

92

The following recommendations aim to improve the effectiveness of the assessment tool
in assessing an ability-based model of emotional intelligence.
4.2.2.3

Recommendations

The EIAT could include the perception of emotions from the general environment
such as artwork and designs. This would have the effect of extending the concept
of emotional perception.

The researcher should reformulate the questions which address the emotional
facilitation of thinking to ensure greater clarity and detail in responses.

Questions addressing skills such as the sequential nature of emotions and the
engagement and detachment of emotions, should be reformulated to ensure that
they in fact accurately assess such skills.

4.2.3 Is the EIAT an appropriate assessment tool for children in middle

childhood?
4.2.3.1

Summary

The children assessed with the EIAT were aged 8-11 years. According to the literature
study which investigated the emotional development that could be expected from
children in this age range children in middle childhood should be able to:

Understand ambivalent emotions in a situation.

Recognise the rules for emotional management as prescribed by ones culture.

Compare themselves to their peers.

Display a greater control over emotional responses.

Recognise that expressive behaviours differ from inner feelings.

Show greater awareness of suitable emotional responses to situations.

The design of the EIAT took into account these developmental aspects. It contains eight
scenarios and requires the testee to listen and respond to a series of questions. The

93

prerequisite for performance on this assessment would be an adequate level of auditory

and verbal ability and sustained concentration. Since the literature study emphasised
that the middle childhood client typically becomes more of a social being with an interest
in peer and school issues, the EIAT focussed on such content to ensure relevance.
Family scenarios are also included but did not form the main focus.
4.2.3.2

Findings

In the pilot study, the youngest testee was 8 years 3 months and the oldest testee was
11 years 3 months. The children between 9 and 11 years were able to relate to the
content of the scenarios and were able to remain focussed for the duration of the
assessment.
The eight-year-old testee found it difficult to respond appropriately to the EIAT questions.
The content of vignettes which included issues such as the writing of tests and the
auditioning for plays seemed beyond his range of experience. He also found it difficult to
remain focused for the entire assessment and as his concentration waned, he tended to
misinterpret many of the questions.
4.3.3.3

Recommendations

Based on the empirical research, the EIAT should be used on children between the ages
of 9-11 years.

A different set of scenarios could be designed that would better suit

younger children. The length of the test and the focus on auditory information would
also need to be reconsidered if the EIAT were to be used on younger candidates.
4.2.4 Is emotional intelligence a relevant construct for an educational
psychologist?
4.2.4.1

Summary

94

The literature review considered two important applications for the educational
psychologist.

Firstly, the use of an emotional intelligence assessment can assist the

psychologist in determining the clients psychological mindedness (Bar-On & Parker

2000:493) which is the clients ability to make use of psychotherapeutic techniques to
improve his/her life.

Secondly, emotional intelligence could form an integral part of

psychotherapy. The development of social and emotional skills can aid the individual in
dealing more successfully with difficult situations.
4.2.4.2

Findings

Four psychologists were asked to evaluate the EIATs applicability to psychological

practice. The psychologists were asked for their personal views regarding the relevance
of emotional intelligence.

All concurred that emotional intelligence is an important

construct and should be considered in the therapeutic environment. They reported that
they would be most likely to implement emotional intelligence skills in children with social
and behavioural difficulties.

They recognised that an assessment tool in the field of

emotional intelligence would aid the psychologist in establishing deficient EQ skills in their
clients. Psychologist 4 also recognised the value of the assessment in determining the
insightfulness of their clients.
4.2.4.3

Recommendations

Psychologists recognise the value of emotional intelligence, which indicates that it is a

valuable construct to research and develop further.

These practitioners were able to

consider the merits of an EI assessment tool which suggests that the refinement and
development of such a tool is indeed relevant to daily practice.
4.2.5 Can

the

EIAT

psychologist?
4.2.5.1

Summary

provide

valuable

information

to

an

educational

95

The literature review indicated that the EIAT is a performance-based assessment tool
which assesses actual skills rather than perceived ability. The EIAT was designed in such
a way that children were presented with social dilemmas which they were asked to solve.
In answering the questions, children were encouraged to provide advice to the
character in the story. This made the answering of questions less threatening so that
children were able to respond in an honest, detailed manner and in so doing demonstrate
their actual abilities.
4.2.5.2

Findings

Six children were assessed on the EIAT. They enjoyed the idea that they were providing
advice for the characters in the scenarios and answered the questions willingly. Children
who were initially quite anxious relaxed when they realised that their responses were not
going to be judged or criticised.

This confirms the importance of psychologists

administering the assessment and demonstrating unconditional positive regard for their
clients.
The information obtained from the EIAT provided the researcher with a detailed
understanding of the emotional intelligence of each candidate.

There were

developmental similarities between candidates, as well as unique information about the

testees emotional functioning. The researcher used this information to develop a profile
of each candidates emotional strengths and weaknesses.

There was a connection

between the information obtained from the parents and the actual results obtained from
the EIAT, indicating that the EIAT is able to generate accurate, relevant information.
4.2.5.3

Recommendations

The EIAT is able to provide relevant information to the educational psychologist regarding
the emotional functioning of the child. The administration of the assessment should be
done by a psychologist who is trained in eliciting relevant information from the client
through appropriate questioning techniques, and who enters the testing situation in a
non-judgemental manner. This will ensure that maximum information is obtained from

96

the client in a natural, relaxed manner. Further investigation of the typical developmental
responses expected from children would help the psychologist determine whether or not
responses are appropriate to the age-group concerned.
4.2.6 What are the limitations of the EIAT and how could these hinder its
effectiveness in practice?
4.2.6.1

Summary

The literature review explored the difficulties associated with emotional intelligence
assessment tools. When the researcher designed the EIAT, there was an awareness of
its limitations: the scoring of the assessment being a major obstacle. The EIAT does not
have a definite set of answers and only provides a set of criteria as a guideline for
scoring.

Interpretation by the psychologist would be necessary to determine the

accuracy of the response to these criteria.

The researcher did indicate that this

dissertation is a pilot study aimed at assessing the suitability of the EIAT. The next step
would be to administer the EIAT on a wide population group to facilitate consensus
scoring. As discussed in the literature review, consensus scoring determines the most
common responses from a sample group, which is then regarded as the correct
response.
Another limitation of the EIAT, as discussed by the psychologists who evaluated it, is the
over-reliance on auditory and verbal information. This makes it difficult for a child with
language or auditory difficulties to access the EIAT. The length of the EIAT was also
criticised: psychologists were concerned that children would lose focus during the
assessment.
4.2.6.2

Findings

The scoring of the EIAT requires much interpretation by the administrator. This is timeconsuming and presupposes that the psychologist has an adequate knowledge of the
Mayer & Salovey model (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10).

At present the EIAT provides

qualitative information about the testee. A rudimentary scoring key has been included

97

which determines the accuracy of a response to the criterion being assessed, but at
present does not allow for a differentiation of responses. The scoring allows 1 mark for a
response which fulfils the criterion, and 0 for a response which does not. This makes the
test unfairly biased towards older children who are more able to provide detailed,
accurate responses.
The researcher was aware that the test was time-consuming to administer and also
favoured verbal and auditory competence. From the pilot study it was determined that
the EIAT typically took 40 minutes to administer. Most of the children remained focused
throughout although the 8 year-old testees attention wavered in the second half of the
assessment. The reliance on auditory and verbal information tended to contribute to
overall results.

Children who demonstrated a good verbal and auditory ability, as

assessed in the two subtests of the SSAIS-R, also performed better in the EIAT.
4.2.6.3

Recommendations

A more objective and detailed scoring key based on consensus scoring will
increase the effectiveness of the EIAT.

The scoring criteria should accommodate a two-mark response. This will assist in
the differentiation of scores between testees. Testees who provide a detailed and
insightful response to a question can be rewarded appropriately.

A two point

score would also increase the range of scores achieved by different individuals on
the EIAT.

The reliance of the EIAT on auditory and verbal information could be overcome in
the following ways:
Further visual cues could be provided to reduce the auditory information. Certain
scenarios could be presented in pictures rather than written format.

One

psychologist suggested transforming the assessment into a multiple-choice

questionnaire which would make it easier to administer and mark.

The

disadvantage of this is it would greatly reduce the valuable qualitative information

obtained.

98

In conclusion, two tables have been devised by the researcher to summarise relevant
information obtained from this research study.

The first table below indicates the

strengths and the weaknesses of the literature study in providing the groundwork for the
empirical research study.

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

Demonstrates an in-depth understanding of

Needs a better understanding of the

the Mayer & Salovey model in emotional

application of the various components

intelligence (Salovey & Sluyter 1997:10).

included in the Mayer and Salovey model.

This would have assisted the researcher in
devising specific questions for each skill. It
would have been useful to obtain a copy of
the MEIS, which is the assessment tool
devised by Mayer, Caruso and Salovey
(Salovey, Brackett & Mayer 2004:1997).
This would have provided greater insight
into the Mayer and Salovey model.

Provides a detailed account of the

Requires a greater understanding of the

difficulties experienced in assessing a

developmental expectations of children in

construct such as emotional intelligence.

middle childhood. This would have aided

This ensured that the researcher was aware

the researcher in assessing whether or not

of the limitations of the EIAT.

responses were age-appropriate.

Provides a detailed review of the concept of

More information is needed regarding the

intelligence and the criteria used to assess

applications of emotional intelligence to

it. This made the researcher aware of the

psychological practice. This would have

considerations to be taken into account if

aided the researcher in developing

emotions are to be regarded as a form of

questions that were relevant to practice.

intelligence.
Provides an understanding of emotions and

Requires an investigation into factors which

a study of its connection to neuroscience.

influence the development of emotional

This confirmed that emotions could be

intelligence. This could have included

considered intelligent and were not merely

aspects such as culture and gender.

impulsive responses to the outer

99
environment.

The following table provides a brief synopsis of the strengths and weaknesses of the
EIAT as a tool for assessing emotional intelligence. The researcher is aware that the
limitations of the assessment tool needs to be considered before it is administered to a
larger population group.

STRENGTHS

A performance - based assessment

WEAKNESSES

tool that assesses actual ability not

tool requires an in-depth

perceived ability.

understanding of the Mayer/Salovey

The EIAT is based on the Mayer/

emotional intelligence model.

Salovey model of emotional

intelligence (Salovey & Sluyter

1997:10) and aims to assess all four
The assessment comprises relevant

reformulated.

childhood and specific questions to

were emphasised more than others.

regarding developmentally

assessment tool makes it non-

appropriate responses from different

threatening for the testee to

age groups.

There is a vast amount of auditory

It provides information to the

information with an emphasis on

psychologist regarding a childs

verbal responses.

well as his insightfulness in

responding appropriately to therapy.

Further information is required

The projective nature of the

emotional and social functioning as

The assessment should assess the

various skills evenly. Certain skills

respond honestly.

Ambiguous questions need to be

scenarios for children in middle

guide the assessment process.

The assessment tool is not

appropriate for 8 year-old children.

components.

Administration of the assessment

The scoring criteria are vague and

time-consuming.

No differentiated scoring. Children

It provides valuable qualitative

either achieve 1 mark or 0 marks

information about the client.

which results in scores being too

Generally an accurate connection

closely bunched together.

between results from EIAT and

parents perceptions of their

The EIAT is time-consuming to

administer and score.

100
children.

The next section considers possible research options to extend the scope of the study
conducted in this research project.

4.3

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Emotional Intelligence is an exciting, dynamic construct which has caught the interest of
practitioners and researchers alike. However, as it is a relatively new construct, much
research is still needed to validate its relevance to practice. The following investigations
could be considered as a continuation of this research project.

Standardisation of the EIAT to make the EIAT more acceptable to psychologists.

This suggests that the EIAT first be amended and then administered to a diverse
and large population sample. The results from the sample could then be used to
standardise the EIAT, thus ensuring that consensus scoring emerges. This in turn
would make the EIAT a more user-friendly, objective measure of emotional
intelligence.

An emotional intelligence programme would ensure practical application of the

Mayer/Salovey model.

This would increase its usage by practitioners such as

school counsellors and/or psychologists.

Although much work has been done on the developmental understanding of

emotions by researchers such as Saarni and Scharfe (Bar-On & Parker 2000),
further studies could specifically connect the components of emotional intelligence
in the Mayer/Salovey

model

understanding in children.

to

the

typical

development

of

emotional

This would assist practitioners in recognising how

typical or atypical a response may be.

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This is a brief indication of possible research projects which could further develop the
concept of emotional intelligence. In conclusion, the researcher will elaborate on the
personal learning experience gained from the completion of this research project.

4.4

CONCLUSION

The research project has been a valuable and relevant learning experience for the
researcher. The researchers initial conception of emotional intelligence was based on
the popularised view, provided by Goleman (1996). The literature study had the effect of
opening up the diversity of the topic. The researcher decided to focus on a cognitive,
ability-based model which is regarded as a more scientifically grounded approach to
emotional intelligence.

The acquired understanding of this model will benefit both

personal and professional interactions, as it allows for greater insight into human
functioning.
The development of the EIAT provided the researcher with the opportunity to recognise
the challenges which accompany the development of any new test material.

The

empirical research allowed the researcher to assess the EIATs ability to accurately
measure emotional intelligence.

Although much revision is required before the

assessment can be standardised, the EIAT has the potential to be further developed and
utilised.
Emotional intelligence is a construct that will continue to evolve and develop. Emmerling
and Goleman (2003:13) regard the buzz of controversy and debate regarding emotional
intelligence as exciting. A construct that is spoken about, argued over, discussed from
different angles and criticized extensively is a construct worth pursuing. This fervour
indicates that people are sufficiently interested in the idea to expend their energy and
time on its research. It is this passion that ensures that theory is refined and practice is
extended. The researcher was pleased to have played a small role in the development of
an exciting construct.

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APPENDIX A
TABULATED FORMAT OF THE MAYER/SALOVEY MODEL

103
MAYER & SALOVEY MODEL OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
(Adapted from: Salovey and Slutyer,1997:10)
LEVEL 1: PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL & EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS
1. Identification of
emotions making use of
physiological information,
feelings and thoughts.

2. Identification of
emotions in other
people, designs,
artwork. Cues such as
language, sound,
appearance and behaviour
can be used.

3. Expression of
emotions in an
accurate manner.
Being able to relate
needs to feelings.

4. Discrimination of
emotions. The ability
to distinguish
between honest and
dishonest, accurate
and inaccurate
expressions of
feelings.

LEVEL 2: EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

1. Emotions ability to
focus thinking. Attention
is directed to certain
information based on the
emotional content of the
information. This aids
decision-making.

2. The generation of
emotions to aid
judgment and memory.
Our emotions are vivid and
accessible and can
therefore influence our
viewpoints.

3. Emotional mood
swings effect
perspective. Our
moods determine
aspects such as
optimism or
pessimism. This allows
for multiple points of
view. We do not
always view the world
in the same way.

4. Problem solving
approaches are
influenced by our
emotional states.
Happiness is more
likely to produce
inductive reasoning
and creativity.

3. Understanding of
complex feelings:
Simultaneous feelings
(love and hate felt at
the same time) or
blends (emotions that
are combine two
feelings.)

4. Recognition of the
transition of
emotions such as the
transition from anger
to satisfaction and
then to guilt.

LEVEL 3: UNDERSTANDING & ANALYSING EMOTIONS; EMPLOYING

EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE
1. Ability to label emotions
and the recognition of the
similarities and
differences between
these words and concepts.

2. Interpretation of the
meanings that emotions
covey with regards to
relationships. For
instance, sadness is often
related to loss.

LEVEL 4: REFLECTIVE REGULATION OF EMOTIONS TO PROMOTE EMOTIONAL

AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
1. The ability to stay open
to both positive and
negative feelings.

2. The engagement in
useful emotions and the
detachment of
destructive emotions.

3. The ability to
monitor emotions
by considering how
typical, influential
and reasonable they
are.

4. Management of
emotions in oneself and
in others. This involves
the ability to moderate
negative emotions and
enhance pleasant ones
while not repressing
and/or exaggerating the
information they may
convey.

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APPENDIX B
EIAT

105

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT TOOL (EIAT)

TEST INSTRUCTIONS
1 CONCEPTUALISATION OF TEST
The EIAT is based on the Salovey-Mayer model of emotional intelligence (Salovey &
Sluyter 1997:10). This model is a cognitive, ability based model and presupposes that
emotions are able to aid reasoning and thought processes. This model contains four
components, which have been included in this assessment tool. The four components are
the following:

Perception, appraisal and expression of emotions.

Emotional facilitation of thinking.

Understanding and employing emotions and employing emotional knowledge.

Reflective regulation of emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth.

2 FORMAT OF TEST
This assessment is divided into the four components as mentioned above. Each
component is assessed using two short vignettes (scenarios) with structured questions to
elicit the emotional reasoning of the testee. Each section is comprised of 8 questions
with each question relating to a specific skill for that particular component.
The tester will read each vignette to the testee. The testee will be presented with an
enlarged copy of the vignette which they can refer to. The testee will provide verbal
responses to the questions asked. The tester will write the responses down under each
question. These responses should be written down verbatim to ensure accurate
interpretation of the responses when scoring the assessment. It may be advisable to tape
record the responses to ensure accurate recording.

3 ADMINISTRATION OF THE ASSESSMENT TOOL

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The following procedure should be followed when administering the EIAT:

1. The EIAT should be administered by a psychologist in order to ensure that testing

procedures are correctly implemented. An educational psychologist would be most
appropriate as the EIAT is specifically designed for children and presupposes a
working knowledge of childhood development. The psychologist should be familiar
with the Mayer-Salovey model of emotional intelligence as there are no definite
responses to questions and the testers interpretation of the responses are important.
2. The testee should be made to feel comfortable.

This assessment should be

administered once the educational psychologist has established a relationship with the
testee.

This will ensure that the testee is willing to interact and provide

comprehensive responses to the questions asked.

3. The following instructions should be given to the testee prior to administration of the
assessment tool.
Today I am going to read you some short stories. Most of the stories are about a
boy or girl who is around about your age. In each story, the child has a problem that
they need help with.

Once I have read the story to you, I am going to ask you some

questions. I want you to answer the questions

in a way that would be most helpful to the child in the story. There are no right or
wrong answers. If you need me to reread the story or to repeat a question, you can
just ask me to do so. You have a copy of the story in front of you and you can look at
it if it helps you.
4. The tester reads the first story, using a slow pace so that the child can follow the
details in the story.

The tester asks each question and writes down the childs

response verbatim. The tester may not lead the testee by emphasisng or interpreting

107

certain aspects of the childs response. If the childs response is very brief, the tester
may respond in the following manner, tell me a little bit more or What else can you
think of? These questions encourage the child to explain further but do not lead the
childs response. If the child asks for the meaning of words to be explained, the
tester should consider whether the explanation of the word will influence the childs
response.

Words that explain feelings should not be explained as the childs

knowledge and interpretation of these words is being assessed. The tester should
respond by telling the child, I cannot tell you the meaning of the word, you need to
try and figure out the meaning of the word yourself.
5. After the learner has completed sections 1 and 2, he/she should be given a 10 minute
break, as the assessment is intensive and the child may begin to lose focus after a
sustained period of time. After the break, the test should resume.
6. The tester should not provide feedback on the childs responses even if the child asks
the tester to provide feedback. The tester should reassure the testee by reiterating
that there are no right or wrong answers and that the child should just continue
answering the questions asked.
4 SCORING THE ASSESSMENT TOOL
The blank scoring sheet can be used to fill in the testees responses.

Once the

assessment has been administered, the tester can ascertain the suitability of each
response and award a point if the response is acceptable. In order to aid the tester in
the awarding of the point, the tester should consult the criteria for scoring sheet which
provides an indication of the information expected in order to achieve a point. The EIAT
does not provide a set of definite answers and the criteria are only a guideline. The
tester should determine whether the response meets the criteria provided. If it does
meet the criteria then a point is given for the question. Each section gives a score out of
eight. This score can then be converted into a percentage. This percentage provides an
indication of the testees overall performance and highlights strengths and weaknesses
between the various components.

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It must be stressed that the aim of the assessment is to provide qualitative information
regarding the emotional intelligence of the testee and the scores should be interpreted
cautiously.

109

EIAT
1: PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS

The following aspects will be assessed in this section:

Identification of emotions.

Recognition of emotions in other people.

Appropriate expression of emotions.

Discrimination of emotions.

SCENARIO ONE:
Susan had been working on a special project for school. She had spent the
whole weekend organising her project. Firstly, she had found information on
the computer, then she had drawn pictures to match the information. She
was very proud of her hard work and couldnt wait to show her teacher.
As she walked into school, a wind picked up and her project flew out of her
hand and landed in a puddle of water. Her project was completely ruined.
1. How do you think Susan feels at the moment?
2. How could Susan let others know how she is feeling?
3. Her teacher asks her what is wrong as she walks into the classroom.
How does her teacher know that something is wrong?
4. One of her classmates tells Susan that she was really sorry about her project.
The classmate then skips off leaving Susan standing on her own. What
should Susan think about the way her classmates has acted?

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SCENARIO TWO:
Sometimes Peters parents argue with one another. Peter can hear them
shouting at each other from his room. When they argue, Peters heart starts
beating fast and his hands get sweaty. Hes not sure why this happens.
1. Why do you think Peters heart starts beating fast and his hands become sweaty?
2. How would you let someone know that you are angry with them?
3. How can we know that someone is angry with us even when they dont tell us how
they are feeling?
4. After the argument, Peters father sits in front of the television and does not talk to
anyone. He starts laughing at something on the television. Peter is confused, he
does not know if his Dad is angry or happy. What could you tell Peter?

2: EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

The following aspects will be assessed in this section:

Emotions assisting decision-making.

Anticipating feelings to aid judgment.

Emotions assisting multiple perspectives.

The effect of emotions on reasoning ability.

SCENARIO THREE:
Fatimas special friend is going to live in another country. Her friend is leaving
in two days time and she phones Fatima and asks her to go to the movies
with her. Fatima has a big test at school the next day and she still has lots of
work to study.

111

Fatima does not know what to do.

1. What are the different feelings that Fatima must be feeling at the moment?
2. How can Fatima make use of her feelings to help her make a decision about whether
she should go out or stay at home?
3. Fatima goes out with her friend but decides to come home early to study for her test.
What may have helped her to make this decision?
4. The day that her friend leaves, Fatima forgets her homework at home and she makes
lots of mistakes in her schoolwork. Fatima is really not herself today. Why do you
think she is having a bad day?

SCENARIO FOUR:
John has just been told by his mother and father that they are moving to a
new country to live. John remembers moving to a new house and how
difficult that was and so he doesnt know what to think about moving to a
new country. All these different thoughts rush through his head.

1. John remembers his feelings about moving to a new house and what do you think he
then tells himself about moving to a new country?
2. When John feels excited and happy, what do you think he decides about moving to a
new country?
3. Johns brother decides that he does not want to leave his home and school.

John

decides to make his brother laugh and hugs him to let him know that he loves him.
His brother then starts thinking about all the exciting adventures they have in front of
them. What made his brother think so differently about moving to another country?

112

4. John wants to draw a picture and write a special poem for his classmates. He is feeling
really sad today and cannot think of anything to say in his poem and keeps on making
mistakes. What do you think he should do?

3: UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING EMOTIONS: EMPLOYING

EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE
The following aspects will be assessed in this section:

The ability to correctly differentiate between emotions.

Relating emotions to particular situations.

Complex emotions and blends.

Understanding the sequential nature of emotions.

SCENARIO FIVE:
Maggie is in trouble at home. Her mom, dad and granny decide to talk to
her about her behaviour. Her mother tells Maggie that she is angry with
her, her dad says that he is irritated with her and her granny just despairs
with her behaviour.
1. How are mom, dad and grannys feelings similar?
2. Who feels the strongest about Maggies behaviour? (Explain why).
3. After they have spoken, Maggies mom puts her hand on Maggies shoulder
and Maggie and her mom feel better. Tell me what has happened to make
them both feel better.
4. Tell me some feeling words to explain despair?
SCENARIO SIX:

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It is the last day of the school year. Sipho has a long holiday to look forward
to. He goes to school and he feels so excited about the upcoming holidays as
he has lots of plans for the summer break. When it is time to leave school,
he feels so ecstatic and is smiling and laughing with all his friends but he also
notices that he has butterflies in his stomach and he has a tight feeling in his
chest.

1. What different feelings is Sipho feeling at the moment?

2. Sipho has made a special card for his good friend, who he is really going to miss
during the holidays.

His friend just waves to him and leaves the card in the

classroom. Can you explain the change in Siphos feelings towards his friend?
3. Sipho and John are talking about their end of year reports. Sipho says that he is
satisfied with his report. John says that he is proud of his report. Can you explain
the difference between feeling satisfied and feeling proud?
4. John says that he is eager to start the new year and to move up to the next grade.
Can you give feeling words that explain eager?

4. REFLECTIVE REGULATION OF EMOTIONS:

PROMOTING EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH

The following aspects will be assessed in this section:

Openness to positive and negative emotions.

Engagement and detachment of emotions.

Monitoring of emotional responses.

Management of emotions.

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SCENARIO SEVEN:
Mark has learnt his work really hard for the test. As the teacher hands him
the test paper, he quickly scans through the questions. Most of the questions
look quite easy and then he sees that there is a ten-mark question on a
section of work that he forgot to learn. He will not be able to answer that
question at all. Mark feels really worried about this question.

1. How should Mark handle this situation?

2. What do you think might happen if Mark only focuses on feeling worried about the
ten-mark question that he cannot answer?

3. How can he make himself feel better so that he is able to answer the other questions
to the best of his ability?

4. When he is learning for his next test, he thinks back to this test and his worried,
nervous feelings. Do you think that thinking about these feelings could be helpful.
Explain your answer.

SCENARIO EIGHT:
Peter would really like to try out for the school play. He has dreamt about
being a famous actor and he would love to be on the stage. On the day of the
auditions, his friends laugh at him and tell him that he is a big nerd if he
gets into the school play. He has felt really nervous about the audition and
after his friends comments, he has second thoughts about trying out for the
them.

1. How do you think Peter is feeling about the auditions and how should he handle these
feelings?

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2. Do you think it is acceptable for Peter to feel nervous about the auditions and what do
you think he should tell himself about the way he is feeling?

3. Peters friends have made him feel really uncertain about the auditions. How could
these feelings affect his performance in the auditions?

4. What can Peter do or say to make himself feel better about the auditions?

CRITERIA FOR SCORING

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SECTION ONE: PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL AND EXPRESSION OF

EMOTION
Question
number
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Criteria required
Accurate identification of feelings. Provide words that are suitable to the context
of the story. One three words are acceptable.
Any suitable expression of emotions these may be verbal or non-verbal
expressions and should be suitable and appropriate.
External perception of emotions such as body language and facial expressions.
Ability to recognize the insincerity of the emotional response due to incongruence
between the verbal response and the characters action.
Physiological reactions to feelings. Link bodily reactions as messengers to specific
feelings.
Suitable expression of emotions which can include verbal and non verbal
expressions of emotions and should be appropriate and suitable to the situation.
Non-verbal expression of feelings such as body language and eye contact.
Recognition that a persons inner and outer expression of emotion can be different
and the outer expression may not indicate the persons actual feelings.

SECTION TWO: EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Question
number
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Criteria required
Anticipating conflicting feelings about situations. Child must connect conflicting
feelings about the two choices. At least two suitable emotions related to the
choices should be included.
Recognition that the characters feelings will influence the decision made. Aspects
such as intensity of feeling /anticipation of later feelings could be mentioned as
influencing the final decision.
Making use of emotional information to guide action. Feelings must be mentioned
as influencing decision-making.
Awareness that your present mood and feelings can influence your thinking and
behaviour. Connect the characters concern about her friend leaving to her
difficulties at school.
Our emotional memories can influence our judgment about current events. The
character would respond negatively towards moving to a new country as he
remembered how difficult it was to move to a new house.
A change in mood creates a change in perspective. The character will consider
the positive aspects about moving to a new country.
A change in feelings could result in different perspectives about the same event.
Our emotional states will influence the type of reasoning that we are capable of.
The task will be easier when his mood changes.

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SECTION THREE: UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING EMOTIONS:

EMPLOYING EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Question
number
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Criteria required
Differentiation of feelings. Recognising the similarities between these feelings.
Indication of what these feelings communicate.
Differentiating between emotions and recognizing the different intensity of
emotions. Anger would be a stronger than irritation and despair.
Recognising the characters change in emotions based on situational and
contextual changes.
Understanding emotional blends: despair could be a mixture of disappointment
and hopelessness. Child should combine two suitable emotions for despair.
Identification of complex emotions explain that he is feeling positive and
negative feelings at the same time.
Recognising the change in emotions based on situational and contextual changes.
Explaining the differences between similar emotional words. The definitions
provided should accurately explain the feeling word and the two definitions should
specifically differentiate between the words.
Explaining emotional blends. Child must provide appropriate words to describe
eager. Eg. Excited, curious, hopeful, keen, impatient. At least two words should
be provided.

SECTION FOUR: REFLECTIVE REGUALTION OF EMOTIONS: PROMOTING

EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Question
number
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Criteria required
The testee should provide strategies which encourage detachment from negative
feelings in order to improve performance.
Ability to monitor emotions and recognize that the negative emotions will affect
overall performance.
Suitable management of emotions: As it is a test situation, the strategies would
need to be independent, internal ones which moderate negative feelings and
assist in performance.
Awareness that the recall of negative feelings to a situation can help to focus one
in a proceeding situation. Considering these negative emotions ensure openness
to difficult emotions.
Willingness to experience these negative feelings in order to assist in goal
achievement. Willingness to continue with task even though it creates anxiety
and nervousness.
Monitoring of emotions to determine whether the response is a typical one.
Feeling nervous before a play audition is typical and should be accepted.
Monitoring of his emotions and detachment from emotions that will not aid him in
reaching his final goal.
Engagement in the positive feelings that will aid goal achievement. Strategies
that encourage confidence and that reduce anxiety in the individual.

118

BLANK SCORING SHEETS

SECTION ONE: PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTION
Question
number

Criteria required

1.

Accurate identification of
feelings.

2.

Suitable expression of
emotions.

3.

External perception of
emotions.

4.

Discrimination of emotions.

1.

Physiological reactions to
feelings.

2.

Suitable expression of
emotions.

3.

Non-verbal expression of
feelings.

4.

Discrimination of feelings.

TOTAL FOR SECTION ONE:

Comment on response

/8

Point

_____%

119

SECTION TWO: EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Question
number

Criteria required

1.

Identification of conflicting
emotions.

2.

Using emotional information

to assist decision making.

3.

Reacting to emotional
information in decision
making.

4.

Connection between mood,

behaviour & thinking.

1.

Connecting emotional
memories to current
judgments.

2.

Connecting mood to present

judgments.

3.

Mood and perspective

changes.

4.

Connecting mood to
reasoning.

Comment on response

TOTAL FOR SECTION TWO:

/8

Point

____%

120

SECTION THREE: UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING EMOTIONS:

EMPLOYING EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Question
number

Criteria required

1.

Recognising similarities
between emotions.

2.

Recognising the intensity of

different emotions.

3.

Sequential understanding of
emotions.

4.

Emotional blends : choosing

suitable emotions

1.

Identification of complex
emotions.

2.

Sequential understanding of
emotions.

3.

Differentiating between
similar feelings.

4.

Emotional blends : choosing

suitable emotions

Comment on response

TOTAL FOR SECTION THREE:

/8

Point

____%

121

SECTION FOUR: REFLECTIVE REGUALTION OF EMOTIONS:

PROMOTING EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Question
number

Criteria required

1.

Detachment from negative

feelings.

2.

Monitoring of emotions

3.

Suitable management of
emotions

4.

Openness to negative
feelings.

1.

Openness to bad/negative
feelings.

2.

Determining whether
emotional response is a
typical one.

3.

Monitoring of emotions.

4.

Engagement in the positive

feelings that will aid goal
achievement.

Comment on
response

TOTAL FOR SECTION FOUR:

/8

Point

_____%

122

CHILDRENS ENLARGED COPIES OF THE EIAT

123

SCENARIO 1:
Susan had been working on a special
project for school. She had spent the
whole weekend organizing her project.
Firstly, she had found information on the
computer, then she had drawn pictures
to match the information. She was very
proud of her hard work and couldnt wait
to show her teacher.
As she walked into school, a wind picked
up and her project flew out of her hand
and landed in a puddle of water. Her
project was completely ruined.

124

SCENARIO 2:
Sometimes Peters parents argue with one
another. Peter can hear them shouting at
each other from his room. When they
argue, Peters heart starts beating fast and
his hands get sweaty. Hes not sure why
this happens.

125

SCENARIO 3:
Fatimas special friend is going to live in
another country. Her friend is leaving in
two days time and she phones Fatima and
asks her to go to the movies with her.
Fatima has a big test at school the next
day and she still has lots of work to study.
Fatima does not know what to do.

126

SCENARIO 4:
John has just been told by his mother and
father that they are moving to a new
country to live. John remembers moving
to a new house and how difficult that was
and so he doesnt know what to think
about moving to a new country. All these
different thoughts rush through his head.

127

SCENARIO 5:
Maggie is in trouble at home. Her mom,
dad and granny decide to talk to her about
her behaviour. Her mother tells Maggie
that she is angry with her, her dad says
that he is irritated with her and her granny
just despairs with her behaviour.

SCENARIO 6:

128

It is the last day of the school year. Sipho

has a long holiday to look forward to. He
goes to school and he feels so excited
about the upcoming holidays as he has
lots of plans for the summer break. When
it is time to leave school, he feels so
ecstatic and is smiling and laughing with
his friends but he also notices that he has
butterflies in his stomach and he has a
tight feeling in his chest.

SCENARIO 7:

129

Mark has learnt his work really hard for

the test. As the teacher hands him the
test paper, he quickly scans through the
questions. Most of the questions look
quite easy and then he sees that there is a
10 mark question on a section of work
which he forgot to learn. He will not be
able to answer that question at all. Mark
feels really worried about this question.

130

SCENARIO 8:
Peter would really like to try out for the
school play. He has dreamt about being a
famous actor and he would love to be on
the stage. On the day of the auditions, his
friends laugh at him and tell him that he is
a big nerd if he gets into the school play.
He has felt really nervous about the
audition and after his friends comments
he has second thoughts about trying out
for them.

131

APPENDIX C
PARENT INTERVIEW

132

PARENT INTERVIEW
BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS:
Please can you fill in the following information:
Mothers name:

____________________________________

Fathers name:

____________________________________

Contact details:
Cellular phone number:

___________________________

E-mail address:

___________________________

City & suburb in SA:

___________________________

Childs details:
Childs name:

____________________________________

Date of birth:

____________________________________

Grade:

____________________________________

Siblings:

____________________________________

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
1. PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL & EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS
a) How does your child typically display and express their emotions?
b) Would you say that your child has an age-appropriate vocabulary to describe his/her
feelings. Can you provide some of the typical feeling words that your child would
use?
c) Does your child show an interest in how other people are feeling? Can you provide an
example of this?

133

d) What is your familys attitude towards the expression of feelings and as parents, do
you share your feelings with your child?
e) Would you say that your child is able to correctly interpret non-verbal displays of
emotion and if possible, can you provide an example to support your answer?

2. EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

a) What factors is your child likely to take into account when making a decision?
b) As a parent, what advice would you give your child about decision-making?
c) Would you say that your childs feelings would influence the way they view a
situation?
d) When expressing inner thoughts, is your child more likely to say, I think that. or I
feel that
e) How would you help your child prepare for a threatening event or situation?

3. UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING EMOTIONS

a) Would you say that your child is able to understand the subtle differences between
similar emotions such as irritation and frustration and can you provide an example
of this?
b) Do you think that your child is aware that there is sometimes a difference between a
persons outward expression of emotion and their inner feelings?
c) Would you say that your child is able to adjust their emotional responses to suit the
particular situation and can you provide an example of this?

134

d) Can you think of an occasion when your child has expressed conflicting emotions
about a situation or towards someone, such as feeling love and hatred simultaneously
about a situation?

4. REFLECTIVE REGULATION OF EMOTIONS

a) Would you say that your child is open to experiencing negative emotions or does
he/she tend to suppress these emotions?
b) What strategies is your child likely to employ to deal with negative emotions?
c) When they are experiencing negative feelings, are they able to detach from these
emotions or do they tend to prolong their negative mood?
d) Would you say that your child usually responds to situations in an appropriate manner
or do you fid that you often need to provide guidelines?
e) Would your child openly speak to you about negative feelings that they may be
experiencing and ask you for guidance on handling these emotions?

135

APPENDIX D
QUESTIONS FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS

136

Dear Psychologist,
I am currently completing my Masters dissertation in educational psychology and would
appreciate your professional opinion on an assessment tool in Emotional Intelligence
(EIAT), which I have designed.
The EIAT is aimed at children between the ages of 8-11 years and should be
administered by an educational psychologist.

The empirical research that will be

conducted will involve the assessment of a small group of children as part of a pilot
study. Before administering the assessment tool to children, the professional opinion of a
group of psychologists will aid me in refining the EIAT.
Please could you, at your earliest convenience, fill in the following questions which will
provide information on the relevance and suitability of the EIAT. This will be of great
assistance to my research study.
The following information has been included:
1. A brief, tabulated format of the Mayer and Salovey model in Emotional
Intelligence.

The EIAT is designed on this model and assumes a cognitive,

performancebased approach to Emotional Intelligence.

2. A copy of the EIAT. This includes the test instructions and scoring procedure.
3. A set of questions asking for your feedback on the assessment tool.
Your involvement and feedback would be much appreciated.
Thanking You
Emma Ballard

137

NAME:

_____________________________________

HPCSA REG NO:

DATE:

_____________________________________
_____________________________________

Questions to be answered by an Educational Psychologist:

After examining the assessment tool, please comment on the following:
Aspect to be discussed
1. Relevance of a
cognitive, abilitybased model in
emotional
intelligence.
2. Suitability of EIAT
to psychological
practice.
3. Format of EIAT:
The use of brief
scenarios with
structured questions.
4. Content of
scenarios: Is the
content relevant to
children in middle
childhood?
5. Questions: Are the
questions easy to
understand and are
they likely to result
in relevant
information from the
child.
6. General layout of
test: Is the test
clearly set out and
easy to use?
7. Instructions: Are
they detailed enough
and easy to follow?

8. Scoring procedure:

Good Fair

Poor Comments

138
are the criteria
provided easy to
use?
9. Relevance of
information that
could be gained
from the test.
10. Suitability of test
for children between
the ages of 8-11
years.

11. How could the researcher improve or extend the EIAT?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

12. If you were to make use of this test, in what circumstances would you be most
likely to use the EIAT and how could the information gained about the child aid
your therapy?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
13. What is your opinion on the concept of Emotional Intelligence?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Thank you for your time and effort in providing your professional opinion on
the EIAT. Your input is most valuable.

139

APPENDIX E
PARENTAL CONSENT LETTER

140

Dear Parent,
I am currently completing my Masters dissertation in Educational Psychology. My topic
involves designing an assessment tool to assess the emotional intelligence of children
between the ages of 8 11 years of age.
The research aspect of my dissertation involves the assessment of a small group of
children, using the assessment tool which I have designed.
This letter serves to ask your permission to include your child as one of the participants
in my research study. It will involve the following:

You will need to supply me with your personal contact details so that I am able to
contact you for any further information, if it is so required.

No identifying

biographical details will be included in the written dissertation.

I will require an interview with one or both parents. The questions to be asked will
be given to you before we meet. The interview will be arranged at your
convenience. The questions asked in the interview will provide the researcher with
further information with regards to the emotional intelligence of your child and will
not expect you to divulge any sensitive, personal information. The interview will be
tape recorded, as the researcher will need to transcribe your responses at a later
stage. The interview should take about 45 minutes.

The researcher will then require an hours session with your child in order to
administer the assessment. Once again the assessment will be tape recorded to
make the transcribing of the responses easier.

I would really appreciate your time and involvement in my research study. If you are
willing to participate, please fill in the consent form included.
Thanking you
Emma Ballard

141

CONSENT FOR MY CHILD TO PARTICIPATE IN THE RESEARCH STUDY

I __________________________ GIVE PERMISSION FOR MY
CHILD____________________ TO TAKE PART IN THE RESEARCH STUDY.
SIGNED:______________________

DATE:__________________

142

APPENDIX F
FEEDBACK FROM PSYCHOLOGISTS

143
SUMMARY OF FEEDBACK FROM PSYCHOLOGISTS
Aspect

Comments:

Comments:

Comments:

Comments:

discussed

Psychologist 1

Psychologist 2

Psychologist 3

Psychologist 4

Relevance of

Good: Cognitive,

Good: Cognitive,

Good: Cognitive,

Fair: Comment

the cognitive,

ability-based model

ability-based

ability-based

relates to relevance

ability-based

is relevant to

model is relevant

model is relevant

of test and

model in

psychological

to psychological

to psychological

psychologist is

emotional

practice.

practice

practice

concerned about

intelligence.

the relevance of
the questions to
younger children.
Good: EIAT could

Fair: Not all

Good: Use of

Fair: It is

EIAT to

be suitably used in

psychologists are

test is limited to

dependent on what

psychological

psychological

trained in

Europeans due to

the test would be

practice.

practice.

correctly applying

Eurocentric

used for. It

the Mayer-

nature of

provides

Salovey model

scenarios.

information on how

137

Suitability of

and the test is

a child identifies

limited to only

feelings which

those who are

could link to the

trained.

ability to use
therapy. However
the test does not
provide an
indication of the
internal dynamics
of a child. It would
be too long to add
to another battery
of tests.

Format of EIAT:

Good: Use of

Poor: Test would

Good: Use of

Fair: It is a long

Using brief

scenarios and

become tedious

scenarios and

test to administer

scenarios with

questions is well

especially when

questions is well

especially if

structured

structured.

administered to a

structured

combined with

144
questions.

child who is

other tests. Each

unable to focus

scenario has too

and listen

many questions

attentively for an

which could result

extended period

in the younger child

of time.

losing focus.

Content of

Good: Grammatical Good: Vignettes

Fair: Scenarios

Fair: Scenarios are

scenarios:

error in scenario 2,

appear to be

are too focused

school-based and

Relevance to

section 2

based on

on school issues

does not reveal

childrens issues.

and not enough

much about how

on sibling and

child deals with

family issues.

conflict in the

middle childhood.

family or emotional
dynamics which are
family-orientated.
Questions: easy Good: questions

Fair: Avoid can

Good: Language

Fair: Some of the

to follow &

are easy to follow

you think

needs to be

questions are too

understand and

and could result in

questions and

checked with

long and the

will they result in

relevant

rather replace

children

younger child

relevant

information.

this phrase with

themselves. Some especially may lose

information from

tell me as this is

of the questions

focus. Relook at

the child.

likely to elicit

may need to be

questions in

more information

reworded for 8-

scenario 1 as

from the child.

year-olds

questions are too

especially if

lengthy. The

English is their

questions are likely

second language

to result in relevant

or there are

information

language issues

although it will

of any kind.

mainly be schoolrelated.

Layout of EIAT:

Good: As some

Fair: The layout

Good: Test is

Good: Test is

Is test easily set

children may have

of the test could

easily set out and

easily set out and

145
out and

weak short-term

be further

convenient to

convenient to

convenient to

memories or may

developed. No

follow.

follow.

use?

be visual learners,

comment given.

it would be helpful
to have a laminated
copy of each
scenario, in large
font, for them to
follow.
Instructions:

Good: Detailed and Good: they

Good: Detailed

Good: Very easy to

Are they detailed

easy to follow.

provide a clear

and easy to

follow and clear.

enough and easy

understanding of

follow.

to follow?

what is required.

Scoring: Are the

Uncertain of the

Fair: As the

Good: Criteria

Poor: The criteria

criteria provided

points which will be

scoring procedure

are easy to

are not easy to

easy to follow?

awarded. Examples

is very subjective, follow.

follow and are too

of appropriate

the test should

strict at times

answers would

only be used

making it too

delineate

qualitatively.

advanced for a

responses. Would

child in middle

there be different

childhood. This

norms for the

would only be

different ages?

established when
the test is
administered to
children. Examples
would provide a
clearer
understanding of
the scoring.

Relevance of

Good: Provides

Good: Relevant

Good:

Fair: It would be

information

information on

qualitative

Information is

dependent on what

gained from the

areas that a child

information

relevant.

you would be using

test.

needs to develop in

regarding a

the assessment for.

their emotional

childs emotional

If it is only to gain

146
intelligence.

adjustment can

an indication of a

be gained.

childs emotional
thinking, then it is
relevant. However,
in practice, it is
more beneficial to
have an indication
of the emotional
dynamics related to
sense of self, peer
and family.

Suitability of

Good: However,

Fair: Some of the

The test seems

Fair: The test is

test for children

tester must take

questions,

appropriate but

very long and the

between 8-11

into consideration

especially in the

pilot study will

scenarios are very

years of age.

that 8-year-olds are

4th component,

help to determine

school-based. It

unlikely to provide

might be too

the suitability of

would be especially

as sophisticated

abstract for 8-

the language and

long if included in

responses as 11-

year-olds.

scenarios.

another battery of

year-olds. It would

tests.

be interesting to
determine the
average ages of the
development of
certain emotional
intelligence skills.

Improve-

Length of test: A

Length of test:

Indication of

Examples for

ments that could

little long. However

The time frame

expected time

scoring to aid

be made to the

two scenarios

for the test needs

allowed might be

accurate, more

EIAT.

ensure a fairer

to be provided

useful especially

objective scoring of

score if child cannot and because it is

if it is part of an

the assessment.

identify with one of

presented in one

assessment

the scenarios.

modality,

battery.

Possibly fewer

question-answer,

The assessment is
very long and could

147
questions per

it may be too

scenario.

long, abstract and indicate that the

Test may be

The instructions

be reduced.

tiring for the

test should be

The scenarios are

child.

administered by

very school related

an educational

and could be

difficult for children

with poor auditory

Some of the

psychologist who

omitted and

memory skills as it

vignettes could

is trained in

replaced with more

involves a lot of

be presented in

applying the

family related ones.

listening. If a child

the form of a

Mayer-Salovey

appears to have an

picture and

model in

auditory weakness,

questions based

emotional

complete the

on the picture.

intelligence. The

SSAIS-R story

Other creative

psychologist

memory to

ways of

wonders who

determine whether

maintaining a

would provide

there is an auditory

childs interest

such training. She

memory problem.

should be

also questions the

The same is true of

explored.

specific reference

children with

to an

comprehension

educational

difficulties. A low

psychologist

EQ score could

which indicates

rather be a poor

that emotional

comprehension

intelligence is an

ability. These

educational issue

distracting factors

and not a clinical

need to be

one.

cancelled out.
Assessment could

There needs to

be made into a

be an explanation

multiple choice test

as to the suitable

with the tester

intellectual

reading out each

abilities required

scenario to aid

for the

children with

administration of

148
reading difficulties.

the EIAT.

A multiple choice
test would be
quicker to
administer and
could be given to
groups of children.
Circumstances

Children with social

The EIAT is

No information

It may be beneficial

when EIAT would

difficulties. The

suitable for a

provided to this

in determining the

provide relevant

EIAT could assess

child who has

question.

childs ability to

information for

the childs specific

been referred for

reason emotionally,

therapy.

weaknesses and

behaviour

differentiate

this information

problems, peer

between emotions

could be introduced

relationship

and gauge how the

into therapy by

difficulties, a

child reacts to

developing the

withdrawn child

negative emotions/

childs EQ and

or general

situations. This in

improving specific

relationship

turn could

social skills.

difficulties. The

determine whether

information

the child has the

gathered would

cognitive insights to

allow one to

use therapy. It

identify potential

could also help to

problem areas

determine the type

and then therapy

of therapy that

could be

would be suitable,

structured around

for instance,

the specific

psychoanalytic vs

problem areas.

cognitive therapy.

Personal

Emotional

Children should

No information

opinion on

development allows

be made aware of provided for this

intelligence is

concept of

for social

and consciously

related to cognitive

emotional

competence based

taught about

abilities. The two

intelligence.

on knowing and

emotions from an

are interlinked, thus

question.

Emotional

149
managing ones

early age. An

their intellectual

own emotions,

emotionally

functioning would

being self-

intelligent child

determine their

motivated, able to

would be better

emotional

recognize ones

equipped to deal

functioning. The

own emotions in

with difficulties in

development of

order to

their

emotional

successfully

development,

intelligence is also

manage

especially during

affected by early

relationships. EQ

adolescence. A

development,

requires the

childs self-

attachment and the

understanding of

confidence, self-

mother-child

ones own feelings

esteem and

relationship.

and ambitions (self- relationships are

awareness), the

boosted when a

appropriate

child is

management of

emotionally

emotions (self-

aware.

restraint) and the

understanding of
others feelings and
ambitions through
compassion,
altruism and
empathy. The skills
such as listening,
co-operating and
resolving conflict,
allow one to be
socially astute and
to relate better to
others.

150

APPENDIX G
SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM EIAT

151

SCORING SHEET: TESTEE ONE

SECTION ONE: PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTION
Question
number

Criteria
required

Comment on response

Point

1.

Accurate
identification of
feelings.

He explained that the character would feel terrible and

dreadful. These two words are appropriate emotional
words based on the context of the story.

2.

Suitable expression
of emotions.

3.

External perception
of emotions.

He indicated that the character should express emotions

verbally and that facial expressions would demonstrate
the characters current emotional state.
Testee 1 indicated that facial expressions would let the
teacher in the scenario know that there was something
wrong. This response indicates that Testee 1 is aware of
the role that facial expressions play in expressing
emotional information.
Testee 1 responded that, saying sorry was really kind but
skipping away would be a bit nasty. He has understood
that the characters friend has not demonstrated a
genuine display of emotion because her actions
contradicted her sympathy.
Testee 1 recognised that the character is scared that his
parents will get a divorce and that these feelings make
him get all sweaty. He has connected the physiological
signs to the emotions that the boy is experiencing.
Testee 1 would make his face look angry. If he is asked
why he is angry, he would let the person know by
providing a reason for his anger. His response
demonstrates an appropriate manner of expressing
emotions.
Testee 1 would make use of facial expressions and tone of
voice to let someone know that he was angry. This
response indicates a good understanding of the nonverbal clues to emotional information.
He recognized that the father in the story is still angry
even though he is laughing at something on TV. Laughter
indicates that the Dads anger is possibly dissipating.

4.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Discrimination of
emotions.

Physiological
reactions to
feelings.
Suitable expression
of emotions.

Non-verbal
expression of
feelings.
Discrimination of
feelings.

TOTAL FOR SECTION ONE:

8/8

100%

152

SECTION TWO: EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Question
number
1.

2.

4.

1.

2.
3.

4.

Criteria
required
Identification of
conflicting
emotions.

Using emotional
information to
assist decision
making.

Reacting to
emotional
information in
decision making.
Connection
between mood
and behaviour &
thinking.
Connecting
emotional
memories to
current judgments.
Connecting mood
to present
judgments.
Mood and
perspective
changes.

Connecting mood
to reasoning.

Comment on response

Point

Testee 1 realised that the character was sad about her

friend leaving but also scared that her parents would
find out that she had not studied for her test. He has
identified two conflicting emotions which are suitable to
the context of the story.
The testee needed to be prompted to connect emotions
to decision making. He provided information about how
the girl should handle her dilemma in the scenario but
he did not connect feelings to the decision making
process. He rather described a diversion tactic to can
make her feel better.
The testee ranked the priority of tasks but did not
connect this priority to emotional information.

The testee connected the sadness that the character felt

about her friend leaving to performance by
commenting, She cant think about it because she is
sad about her friend leaving.
The testee provided strategies to make the character
feel better about moving, instead of linking the
emotional memories about moving house to anxieties
about moving to a new country.
He recognized the connection between feeling happy
and experiencing positive thoughts about moving to a
new country.
The testee misinterpreted question and tended to list
the aspects that the characters brother could look
forward to when moving to a new country. He was
expected to link the brothers change in mood to a
change in perspective.
The testee misinterpreted the question initially and
explained that the boy in the story was sad about
moving, without connecting it to his difficulty in
completing a task. When prompted, he did indicate that
the boy should take a break from the task, but he did
not clearly connect feeling sad to poor task completion.

TOTAL FOR SECTION TWO:

3/8

37,5%

153

SECTION THREE: UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING EMOTIONS:

EMPLOYING EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Question
number

Criteria
required

Comment on response

Point

1.

Recognising
similarities
between
emotions.

Testee 1 recognized that all the emotions in the

scenario expressed anger towards the girl. This
indicates an understanding of the similarity between
these three words.

2.

Recognising the
intensity of
different
emotions.

The testee did not understand the word despair and

commented that this was the strongest emotion in the
scenario. He explained that the granny would feel most
angry because she was visiting. His lack of
understanding of the word despair affected his ability
to demonstrate that anger is more intense than
despair.
Testee 1 recognized that the mother in the scenario was
no longer angry with the daughter after they had
spoken. He commented, you cant stay mad forever, it
has to end sometime, indicating an understanding of
the sequential nature of emotions.
He could only think of the word angry to describe
despair. This indicates that he does not have a good
understanding of this particular emotional blend.
The testee identified that the child in the story was
experiencing sadness because the school year had
ended. He needed to be prompted to provide other
emotions experienced. He then responded that the child
also felt happy but could not substantiate this response.
He did not automatically recognize the differing
emotions.
The testee did not immediately link the incident
described in the scenario to a change in feelings
towards his friend. He recognized that the boy would
feel angry and when prompted further he said the boy
was also happy and a bit sad. He has not linked the
incident to a change in emotions.
The testee explained that proud is when you are very
happy with your mark even if someone did better
whereas satisfied indicates that you would like to get
a higher mark. His explanation indicates a good
understanding between these words.
The testee descried eager as being very excited,
happy, cant wait. These words are appropriate
words to describe eager.

3.

4.
1.

2.

3.

4.

Sequential
understanding of
emotions.

Emotional blends
: choosing
suitable emotions
Identification of
complex
emotions.

Sequential
understanding of
emotions.

Differentiating
between similar
feelings.

Emotional blends
: choosing
suitable emotions

TOTAL FOR SECTION THREE:

4/8

50%

154

SECTION FOUR: REFLECTIVE REGULATION OF EMOTIONS:

PROMOTING EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Criteria
required

Comment on response

1.

Detachment from
negative feelings.

2.

Monitoring of
emotions

Testee 1 provided a strategy which would encourage

detachment from the negative emotions. This involved
attempting the difficult question and trying his best.
The testee understood that emotions need to be
monitored and changed in order to assist in task
completion. He commented that if you concentrate on
the fear, then you wont be able to do the other
questions properly.
Testee 1 provided suitable methods of handling the test
paper but did not adequately explain how he could
make himself feel better. When prompted, he said that
the boy in the story should just think happy thoughts
but he did not clearly link his strategy to the boys
current situation.
The testee did not think that the character should take
his negative feelings into account when learning for the
next test. Testee 1 did not recognize the importance of
considering these negative feelings to guide one in the
current learning task.
The testee correctly identified the characters feelings of
nervousness but did not adequately explain how he
should handle these emotions. Instead he explained
what he should do about the play auditions.
His response indicated that he was aware that the
characters response was a typical one and that his
emotions could aid him in task performance. He
responded that when you are nervous, it can bring an
answer.
He recognized that these negative feelings could result
in the character not performing well at the audition and
that he should detach from these emotions.
The testee provided a suitable strategy which would
result in the engagement of positive emotions. He
explained that the character could pretend that his
friends were supporting him and in this way, he would
stop feeling really nervous.

Question
number

3.

4.

1.

2.

3.
4.

Suitable
management of
emotions

Openness to
negative feelings.

Openness to
bad/negative
feelings.
Determining
whether
emotional
response is a
typical one.
Monitoring of
emotions.
Engagement in
the positive
feelings that will
aid goal
achievement.

TOTAL FOR SECTION FOUR:

5/8

Point

62,5%

155

SCORING SHEET: TESTEE TWO

SECTION ONE: PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTION
Question
number

Criteria
required

1.

Accurate
identification of
feelings.

2.

Suitable
expression of
emotions.
External
perception of
emotions.

3.

4.

1.
2.

3.
4.

Discrimination of
emotions.

Physiological
reactions to
feelings.
Suitable
expression of
emotions.
Non-verbal
expression of
feelings.
Discrimination of
feelings.

Comment on response

Point

Testee 2 used words such as very depressed and

upset and provided reasons for the character feeling this
way. These two words are appropriate emotional words
based on the context of the story.
Testee 2 would express emotions verbally and facial
expressions would demonstrate her current emotional
state.
She provided exact details of suitable body language such
as walking sadly with her head down and changes in
the tone of her voice. This indicates a good
understanding of non-verbal displays of emotions.
She understood that the emotion expressed in the
scenario was not genuine and that the girls actions and
verbal responses provide clues regarding the sincerity of
the response. She has understood the contradictory
nature of this social transaction.
She has related the physiological signs to feelings of
nervousness and anxiety regarding the characters parents
arguing.
Her response indicated that she would tell the person who
had made her angry that she was not happy about how
they handled the situation. This is an appropriate manner
of expressing emotions.
She descried behavioural aspects of expressing emotions
such as not going near you and not including you.
These are adequate non-verbal expressions of emotions.
She did not recognize that the father in the scenario was
still angry even though he was laughing at something on
television. She commented, he was now happy and has
forgotten about the argument already.

TOTAL FOR SECTION ONE:

7/8

87,5%

1
0

156

SECTION TWO: EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Question
number
1.

Criteria required

Identification of
conflicting emotions.

2.

Using emotional
information to assist
decision making.

3.

Reacting to emotional
information in
decision making.

4.

Connection between
mood and behaviour
& thinking.

1.

Connecting emotional
memories to current
judgments.

2.

Connecting mood to
present judgments.

3.

Mood and perspective

changes.

4.

Connecting mood to
reasoning.

Comment on response

Point

Testee 2 indicated that the character is, confused and

upset because she wants to go with her friend and
knows she should study. She has identified two
appropriate emotions which are suitable to the context
of the story.
The testee provided a solution which involved asking
her parents what she should do. She has not connected
the characters emotions to the decision making
process.
She recognized that the characters feelings will help her
to make a decision. Testee 2 suggested that the
character should split her time between the two
activities as she feels strongly about both.
The testee connected the sadness that the character felt
about her friend leaving to her performance at school by
commenting, She is missing her friend a lot and this
bothers her.
She has managed to connect the emotional memories
that the character expresses about moving to a new
house as leading to negative emotions regarding
moving to a new country.
She has recognized the connection between feeling
happy and experiencing positive thoughts about the
characters move to a new country.
She has not connected the characters change in mood
to his change in perspective regarding the move.
Testee 2 has only provided reasons as to why he should
look forward to the move.
She has connected the characters mood to his inability
to complete the task and comments that he should
stop, relax and then write the poem when he is feeling
happier. This indicates that she is aware that a
persons current mood can effect their reasoning ability.

TOTAL FOR SECTION TWO:

6/8

75%

157

SECTION THREE: UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING

EMOTIONS: EMPLOYING EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Question
number

Criteria
required

Comment on response

Point

1.

Recognising
similarities
between
emotions.

The testee recognized that all the emotions in the

scenario expressed anger towards the girls behaviour.
This indicates an understanding of the similarity
between these three words.

2.

Recognising the
intensity of
different
emotions.

The testee indicated that the mum felt the strongest

and identified anger as the strongest word.

3.

Sequential
understanding of
emotions.

Testee 2 has not clearly explained the change in the

mothers emotions in the scenario, due to a change in
circumstances. Testee 2 has merely provided reasons
for the change in emotions.
She used words such as sad and a bit angry. These
two words do not clearly define the word despair and
are a vague description of the word.
She managed to identify the conflicting emotions that
the character is currently experiencing such as
nervous, worried and happy.
She has recognized that the friends actions in the
scenario have altered the characters feelings towards
the friend. This explains the sequential nature of
emotions based on a circumstance.
The testee correctly differentiated between these two
words and explained that proud means happy and
impressed and satisfied means you could have
done better but you have done okay.
She correctly explained the word eager as being
excited, happy, and wanting to go into the next
grade at school.

4.
1.
2.

3.

4.

Emotional blends :
choosing suitable
emotions
Identification of
complex
emotions.
Sequential
understanding of
emotions.
Differentiating
between similar
feelings.
Emotional blends :
choosing suitable
emotions

TOTAL FOR SECTION THREE:

6/8

75%

158

SECTION FOUR: REFLECTIVE REGULATION OF EMOTIONS:

PROMOTING EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Question
number

Criteria
required

Comment on response

Detachment from
negative feelings.

The testee provided a strategy which would encourage

detachment from the negative emotions. This involved
attempting doing the questions that the character in the
scenario knows, instead of focusing on the question he does
not know.
The testee recognized that if the character is not able to
detach from these negative emotions, he will possibly not be
able to complete the rest of the paper properly. This
indicates the need to be aware of ones emotions and
manage them correctly.
Her strategies involved detaching from negative emotions
experienced by the character by continuing with the other
questions and trying to relax. She did not provide details on
how the character could go about relaxing and her
management strategy seemed a little vague.
She was aware of the benefit of remembering the bad
experience so that the character can prevent the same
mistake from happening in the next test. She commented
that the negative feelings could make sure that he learns
everything.
She did not adequately explain how the character is feeling
and only explained how he should handle his feelings:
forget about what his friends say.

1.
2.

3.

4.

Monitoring of
emotions

Suitable
management of
emotions

Openness to
negative feelings.

1.

Openness to
bad/negative
feelings.

2.

Determining
whether
emotional
response is a
typical one.
Monitoring of
emotions.

3.

4.

Engagement in
the positive
feelings that will
aid goal
achievement.

Point

She recognized that it is a typical response and that the

character should set himself goals that he would like to
achieve and in order to reach these goals, he is likely to feel
nervous.
She recognized that the negative emotions experienced by
the character due to his friends comments could result in
him not performing well in the audition and that detachment
from these emotions is necessary.
She suggested suitable strategies to reduce the characters
anxiety such as practicing his lines and self- soothing
strategies such as telling himself that his friends are nerds
because they do not want to be in the play.

TOTAL FOR SECTION FOUR:

6/8

75%

159

SCORING SHEET: TESTEE THREE

SECTION ONE: PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTION
Question
number

Criteria
required

1.

Accurate
identification
of feelings.

2.

Suitable
expression of
emotions.

3.

External
perception of
emotions.

4.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Discrimination
of emotions.

Physiological
reactions to
feelings.
Suitable
expression of
emotions.

Non-verbal
expression of
feelings.
Discrimination
of feelings.

Comment on response

Point

She used words such as sad and disappointed

and provided a reason for the character her feeling
this way. These two words are appropriate
emotional words based on the context of the story.
She found this question difficult to answer but then
commented that the character should tell her
friend as this would cheer her up. This response
indicated an awareness that feelings should be
verbalized.
Testee 3 commented that the characters feelings
would be recognized by the way she behaves as
she would not seem happy today. This response
does not demonstrate a clear understanding of the
non-verbal displays of emotion such as facial
expressions, body language.
She recognized that the girl in the story would feel
sad as her friend was not really interested in her
problem. She understood that her friend had not
demonstrated a genuine display of emotion as her
actions contradicted her sympathy.
She responded that it is because he is scared and
sad that his parents will get a divorce. She has
connected the physiological signs to the emotions
that the boy is experiencing.
She recognized the importance of telling someone
how you feel. She would tell her mom but
recognised the importance of also telling the person
who has made you feel angry. This is an
appropriate manner of expressing emotions.
She indicated facial expressions, a cross face and
behaviour, they wont speak to you. This response
indicates a good understanding of the non-verbal
clues to emotional information.
She has not recognized that the father in the story
still feels angry even though he is laughing at
something on television. She has not recognized
that his outward display of emotions may not
accurately express his inner emotions.

TOTAL FOR SECTION ONE:

6/8

75%

160

SECTION TWO: EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Question
number
1.

2.
3.
4.

1.

Criteria required

Identification of
conflicting emotions.

Using emotional
information to assist
decision making.
Reacting to emotional
information in
decision making.
Connection between
mood and behaviour
& thinking.
Connecting emotional
memories to current
judgments.

2.

Connecting mood to
present judgments.

3.

Mood and perspective

changes.

4.

Connecting mood to
reasoning.

Comment on response

Point

She has indicated that the character would feel

worried and confused and would not know what to
do. She has identified two appropriate emotions
related to the situation.
She provided information about how the girl should
handle her dilemma but she did not connect feelings
to the decision making process.
The testee ranked the priority of tasks but did not
connect this priority to emotional information.
The testee connected the sadness that the girl in the
story felt about her friend leaving to performance by
commenting, shes missing her friend and she is sad
and worried because of this.
She connected the difficulties of losing friends to
moving house and how this will have even a greater
impact when moving country. She has therefore
recognized that negative memories about moving
house will lead to negative judgments about moving
to another country.
She recognized the connection between feeling happy
and experiencing positive thoughts about moving to a
new country.
She did not connect the brothers change in mood in
the story to a change in perspective but rather
provided a vague reason for his feeling excited about
moving to another country.
Her response indicated that the characters mood
needs to improve before he would be able to
complete the task at hand. This response indicated
that she is aware that there is a connection between
mood and reasoning.

TOTAL FOR SECTION TWO:

5/8

62,5%

161

SECTION THREE: UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING EMOTIONS: EMPLOYING

EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Question
number

Criteria required

1.

Recognising
similarities between
emotions.

2.

Recognising the
intensity of different
emotions.

3.

Sequential
understanding of
emotions.
Emotional blends :
choosing suitable
emotions
Identification of
complex emotions.

4.
1.

2.

Sequential
understanding of
emotions.

3.

Differentiating
between similar
feelings.

4.

Emotional blends :
choosing suitable
emotions

Comment on response

Point

The testee recognized that all the emotions included in the

scenario expressed anger and sadness towards the girl.
This indicated an understanding of the similarity between
these three words.
The testee did not understand the word despair by
commenting that this was the strongest emotion.

The testee did not indicate that after talking, the mothers
anger would be relieved.She rather described what the
character should do to be better behaved.
She named angry and cross. These two words do not
adequately explain the meaning of despair.
The testee identified that the character is feeling both
happy and scared and that you can feel these two
feelings at the same time. This indicated an awareness of
complex emotions, feeling two contradictory emotions
simultaneously.
The testee understood that the characters feelings about
his friend have altered because of the way his friend treated
him. This indicated that she has understood the dynamic,
sequential nature of emotions.
She explained that proud means really happy but she
did not adequately explain the meaning of the word
satisfied by saying that satisfied means not so proud of
it.
The testee described eager as being excited, happy,
cant wait. These words are appropriate words to describe
eager.

TOTAL FOR SECTION THREE:

4/8

50%

162

SECTION FOUR: REFLECTIVE REGULATION OF EMOTIONS:

PROMOTING EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Question
number
1.

2.

3.

Criteria required

Detachment from
negative feelings.

Monitoring of
emotions

Suitable management
of emotions

4.

Openness to negative
feelings.

1.

Openness to
bad/negative
feelings.

2.

Determining whether
emotional response is
a typical one.

3.

Monitoring of
negative emotions.

4.

Engagement in the
positive feelings that
will aid goal
achievement.

Comment on response

Point

The testee provided a strategy which would encourage

detachment from the negative emotions. She
responded that the character should work on the other
questions instead of worrying about the difficult ones.
The testee understood that emotions need to be
monitored and changed to assist task completion. She
commented that if the character worries about the ten
mark question, he will run out of time to complete the
other questions.
The testee provided suitable methods of handling the
test paper and provided cognitive prompts to improve
mood by saying, if he cant then he cant. This
indicates a suitable management strategy to detach
from negative emotions.
The testee did not discuss the relevance of paying
attention to negative memories. Instead, she provided a
strategy of just being happy and doing his best.
The testee indicated that the character would feel
confused but should still continue with the play
auditions. This displayed a willingness to stay open to
negative emotions in order to fulfill goals.
Her response indicated an awareness that the
characters response was a typical one. She said that
the character should tell himself I want to do it so I will
not worry about anyone.
She said that the character should forget about these
negative feelings. This response does not answer the
question which is to indicate how these negative
feelings may affect his performance in the auditions.
The testee provided a suitable strategy for the
engagement of positive emotions. She indicated that he
should forget about his friends comments and try his
best in the auditions.

TOTAL FOR SECTION FOUR:

6/8

75%

163

SCORING SHEET: TESTEE FOUR

SECTION ONE: PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTION
Question
number

Criteria
required

1.

Accurate
identification of
feelings.

2.

Suitable expression
of emotions.

3.

External perception
of emotions.

4.

Discrimination of
emotions.

1.

Physiological
reactions to
feelings.

2.

Suitable expression
of emotions.

3.

Non-verbal
expression of
feelings.

4.

Discrimination of
feelings.

Comment on response

Point

He said that the character felt angry because she did not
want the project dropped on the floor and she felt happy
because she wants to show her teacher. The question
asked how the character felt at that moment and happiness
would not be an appropriate emotion.
He indicated that the character should express her emotions
verbally and let them know that she did not want the wind
to blow and destroy her project. Verbal expression is an
acceptable method of letting others know how you are
feeling.
He provided outer indicators such as the character was
crying and that the teacher did not see the project in her
hand. The point was awarded as crying would be a
suitable manner of expressing her current emotions.
He did not recognize the contradictory behaviour of the
friend in the scenario and commented that the friend was
mad because she did not bring the project to school. This
did not explain that her display of emotion was not genuine.
Testee 4 did not connect the way that the character was
feeling to the physiological symptoms that he was
experiencing. Instead he provided a reason for the
character feeling worried by explaining that he does not
want his parents to fight.
He commented that the character should verbalise his
feelings. Testee 4 was not able to explain how the
character should tell his friends. His answer is a suitable
manner of expression even though he provided very little
detail.
He described outer expressions of emotion such as you can
hear and see them. He was not able to explain what he
meant by hearing and seeing them. His response lacked
detail and information.
He believed that the father in the scenario was now happy
because he was watching a comedy show. He has not
displayed an understanding between inner and outer
displays of emotions.

TOTAL FOR SECTION ONE:

3/8

37,5%

164

SECTION TWO: EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Question
number
1.

2.

3.

4.

1.

2.

Criteria
required
Identification of
conflicting
emotions.

Using emotional
information to assist
decision making.
Reacting to
emotional
information in
decision making.
Connection between
mood, behaviour &
thinking.

Connecting
emotional memories
to current
judgments.
Connecting mood to
present judgments.

3.

Mood and
perspective
changes.

4.

Connecting mood to
reasoning.

Comment on response

Point

He was able to recognize that the character would feel

mad about having to practise her homework and happy
because she wants to see her friend and go to the
movies. These two emotions are suitable to the
particular situation.
He provided a solution but did not explain how the
characters emotions would aid her in making a suitable
decision. He said that she should cancel the movie and
stay at home.
He provided feelings about how the girl felt about her
decision rather than information about how the girls
feelings would aid her decision making.
He did not connect the characters feelings to her
behaviour and thinking but rather gave external reasons
that would lead to the character having a bad day at
school, such as leaving books at home and not going to
bed early.
The testee was not able to connect the emotional
memories of moving house to the current judgment of
moving to a new country. He explained that the
character would not want to leave his new house.
He recognized that the character would perceive the
move positively when he was in a good mood and would
think about the positive aspects of moving such as
making new friends and learning a new language.
He did not connect the characters change in mood as
influencing his perspective and relied on external people
to alter mood, such as dad telling the character some
stuff about the move.
He thought that the character should take a break
because he may have a headache. He has not
connected the characters mood to his reasoning ability.

TOTAL FOR SECTION TWO:

2/8

25%

165

SECTION THREE: UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING EMOTIONS:

EMPLOYING EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Criteria
required

Comment on response

1.

Recognising
similarities between
emotions.

2.

Recognising the
intensity of
different emotions.
Sequential
understanding of
emotions.

The testee indicated that all the emotions were bad

emotions and that they explain that they want the
character to be good and not bad. This indicated an
understanding of the similarity between the words.
The testee commented that the dad in the scenario would
be the angriest because he is irritated. The testee has
not understood the intensity of the different emotions.
The testee showed a basic understanding of the
sequential nature of emotions by explaining that the
characters hugged one another and they dont want to
fight again and that they feel better now.
He did not know the meaning of the word despair and
he told the tester that he is not sure of that one.

Question
number

3.

4.
1.

2.

3.

4.

Emotional blends :
choosing suitable
emotions
Identification of
complex emotions.

Sequential
understanding of
emotions.
Differentiating
between similar
feelings.

Emotional blends :
choosing suitable
emotions

Point

He responded that the character was happy and that he

has some feeling on his chest, indicating that he has
related anxiety to physical rather than emotional
symptoms. He has not clearly identified the conflicting
emotions being experienced by the character.
He indicated that the character now felt mad because
his friend has left the card on the table. Although a brief
explanation, he has understood that the characters
emotions have changed due to the actions of his friend.
He explained that proud means really happy, getting
As for everything. He explained that satisfied means
getting some Bs when you want to get As. This
explanation has not explained that satisfied still
indicates a level of happiness with your report.
He was not able to explain the meaning of the word
eager.

TOTAL FOR SECTION THREE:

3/8

37,5%

166

SECTION FOUR: REFLECTIVE REGULATION OF EMOTIONS:

PROMOTING EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Question
number
1.

2.

Criteria
required

Comment on response

Detachment from
negative feelings.

The testee provided a strategy which indicated

dependence on someone else to deal with the problem.
He suggested that the character should ask a friend to
help him with the hard question. This would not be a
suitable strategy in a test situation.
He did not adequately explain that the inability to detach
from negative emotions will affect overall performance.
He rather explained that the character would feel angry
because he cannot answer the difficult question and that
this will affect his mark.
The testee provided no suitable strategies that would aid
the character within the test situation. His responses
indicated a reliance on external methods to deal with the
predicament. These included cheating and asking a
friend for help.
The testee did not think that he should take his negative
feelings into account when learning for the next test. He
believed that negative thoughts would result in the
character not remembering the work he is learning.
He was able to indicate that the character was feeling
both angry and happy at the moment but could not
explain how he should handle these emotions. Anger
would be considered a suitable emotion whereas happy
would not be suitable to the particular situation.
He did not think that feeling nervous was acceptable but
commented that if he wants to feel nervous then he
can. He provided some cognitive strategies to deal with
his nervousness such as telling himself not to worry.

Monitoring of
emotions

3.

Suitable
management of
emotions

4.

Openness to
negative feelings.

1.

Openness to
bad/negative
feelings.

2.

Determining
whether
emotional
response is a
typical one.
Monitoring of
emotions.

3.

4.

Engagement in
the positive
feelings that will
aid goal
achievement.

Point

He did not demonstrate an understanding of monitoring

his emotions and detaching from emotions that were
unhelpful. He provided a strategy of how the character
could feel less nervous such as taking a paper with him
to remember the words.
The testee provided a suitable cognitive strategy by
indicating that the character should forget what his
friend has said and do what he wants on the stage.

TOTAL FOR SECTION FOUR:

2/8

25%

167

SCORING SHEET: TESTEE FIVE

SECTION ONE: PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTION
Question
number

Criteria
required

Comment on response

Point

1.

Accurate
identification of
feelings.

Testee 5 used words such as frustrated and sad .

These two words are appropriate emotional words based
on the context of the story.

2.

Suitable
expression of
emotions.
External
perception of
emotions.

Testee 5 would express emotions verbally, she would tell

her friends what had happened and how she feels about
it. This is an appropriate method of expressing emotions.
She explained that a persons facial expressions will
usually tell someone how they feel. This indicates an
understanding of non-verbal indicators of emotional
information.
She explained that the girl would feel confused by her
friends actions and that her friend was not really sorry
because she just skipped off and did not offer to help the
character. She has understood the contradictory nature
of this social transaction.
She has related the physiological signs to feelings of
nervousness and anxiety to the characters parents
arguing.
Testee 5 would tell the person who had made her angry
the reason why she was angry. She explained that in this
situation, she would stick up for herself. This is an
appropriate manner of expressing emotions.
She indicated that a persons voice expresses anger.
However, the question asked for non-verbal signs of
emotions. Voice tone would be more related to verbal
expressions of emotions.
Testee 5 recognised that the dad was still angry in the
story but that his anger was lessening because a person
cannot continue to be angry. Her understanding that he
was still angry but that the anger was dissipating indicates
an ability to discriminate between emotions effectively.

3.

4.

1.
2.

3.

4.

Discrimination of
emotions.

Physiological
reactions to
feelings.
Suitable
expression of
emotions.
Non-verbal
expression of
feelings.
Discrimination of
feelings.

TOTAL FOR SECTION ONE:

7/8

87,5%

168

SECTION TWO: EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Question
number

Criteria required

Comment on response

1.

Identification of
conflicting emotions.

Testee 5 identified that the girl was frustrated about having

to study for the test and sad because she wanted to spend
the time with her friend. She has identified two appropriate
emotions which are suitable to the context of the story.
The testee indicated that she should go with her heart and
mind and make a decision based on what she is thinking and
feeling. This response indicates an understanding of decision
making using emotions.
She has not clearly indicated that the characters feelings
enabled her to make a decision. Testee 5 indicated that a
lot of things would have helped her to make her decision.

2.

Using emotional
information to assist
decision making.

3.

Reacting to
emotional
information in
decision making.
Connection between
mood and behaviour
& thinking.
Connecting
emotional memories
to current
judgments.
Connecting mood to
present judgments.

4.
1.

2.

3.

4.

Mood and
perspective
changes.
Connecting mood to
reasoning.

Point

The testee connected the sadness that she feels about her
friend leaving to performance by commenting, Theyve gone
and it disturbs you a lot.
She has managed to connect the emotional memories that
the character has about moving to a new house as leading to
negative emotions regarding moving to a new country.
She has recognized the connection between feeling happy
and experiencing positive thoughts about moving to a new
country. Testee 5 indicated that the character could consider
all the positive aspects of moving such as making new
friends.
She has not connected the brothers change in mood in the
scenario, to his change in perspective regarding the move.
She has just explained how the brother could try to make
himself feel happier about the move.
She has not connected the characters mood to his inability to
complete the task. Testee 5 commented that he should say
it (poem) from the heart and let it flow and not think about
it. She thinks he should continue with the task even though
his mood is affecting his task completion.

TOTAL FOR SECTION TWO:

5/8

62,5%

1
1

169

SECTION THREE: UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING EMOTIONS: EMPLOYING

EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Question
number

Criteria
required

Comment on response

Point

1.

Recognising
similarities between
emotions.

The testee recognized that all the emotions discussed in the

scenario indicate anger and frustration, and express an
unhappiness with the way that the character has behaved.

2.

Recognising the
intensity of
different emotions.

The testee indicated that the mum in the scenario felt the
strongest and she identified anger as the strongest word.

3.

Sequential
understanding of
emotions.

She commented that the characters should talk to one

another and tell each other how they feel, as this would make
them both feel better. She has understood that their
emotions have altered due to a change in circumstance.
She used words such as anger and irritation. These two
words do not accurately define the word despair. Testee 5
has simply combined the mother and fathers feelings to
explain despair.
She managed to identify the conflicting emotions that the
character is currently experiencing such as nervousness and
excitement.
Testee 5 recognized that, in the story, the friends actions
have altered the characters feelings towards his friend.
Testee 5 explains that the character is sad because he
thought that he was special to his friend. This explains the
sequential nature of emotions based on a circumstance.
The testee correctly differentiated between these two words
and explained that proud means that you have done your
best whereas satisfied means that you agree with what
you have got but think that you could have done better.
She correctly explained the word eager as being
excitement, confidence, cant wait and impatience.

Emotional blends :
choosing suitable
emotions

1.

Identification of
complex emotions.

2.

Sequential
understanding of
emotions.

3.

Differentiating
between similar
feelings.

172

4.

4.

Emotional blends :
choosing suitable
emotions

TOTAL FOR SECTION THREE:

7/8

87,5%

170

SECTION FOUR: REFLECTIVE REGULATION OF EMOTIONS:

PROMOTING EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Criteria required

Question
number
1.

Detachment from
negative feelings.

2.

Monitoring of
emotions

3.

173

4.

Suitable management
of emotions

Openness to negative
feelings.

1.

Openness to
bad/negative
feelings.

2.

Determining whether
emotional response is
a typical one.
Monitoring of
emotions.

3.

4.

Engagement in the
positive feelings that
will aid goal
achievement.

Comment on response

Point

The testee provided a strategy which would encourage

detachment from the negative emotions. This involves
attempting the questions that he knows and at the end
attempting the questions he did not know.
She has not clearly explained that if the character focuses
on feeling worried, he will not manage to answer the
other questions correctly. She has rather provided a
strategy to make him feel better in this situation.
Her strategies involved detaching from negative emotions
by attempting the difficult question and reassuring herself
by saying, if I get it wrong, I get it wrong. This strategy
could help to make him feel better, as the character would
be more able to see his problem in perspective.
She was aware of the benefit of remembering the bad
experience so that the character can prevent the same
mistake from happening in the next test. She commented
that it would help you understand how to deal with the
situation and how to learn for the test.
She explained that the character would be feeling nervous
and unsure and that he should tell himself, Ill do what I
want to do. This response indicates a willingness to
remain open to difficult feelings and an ability to handle
these negative feelings.
She recognized that it is a typical response to auditioning
for a play.
She recognized that the negative emotions experienced by
the character due to his friends comments could result in
him not performing well in the audition eg. by stuttering
and/or forgetting his words.
She suggested suitable cognitive strategies to reduce his
anxiety. She explained that he should tell himself to follow
his goal and not give up in spite of his friends. This
positive self-talk would boost his confidence.

TOTAL FOR SECTION FOUR:

7/8

SCORING SHEET: TESTEE SIX

87,5%

171

SECTION ONE: PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL AND EXPRESSION OF EMOTION

Question
number

Criteria required

Accurate identification
of feelings.

2.

Suitable expression of
emotions.

3.

External perception of
emotions.

4.

Discrimination of
emotions.

174

1.

1.

Physiological reactions
to feelings.

2.

Suitable expression of
emotions.

3.

Non-verbal expression
of feelings.

4.

Discrimination of
feelings.

Comment on response

Point

Testee 6 recognised that the character felt

disappointed and he provided a valid reason regarding
her disappointment. This word is appropriate to the
situation.
The testee suggested that the character should express
emotions verbally. The characters facial expressions
and her reactions towards the other children would also
demonstrate her current emotional state. These are all
accurate expressions of emotion.
Testee 6 recognised that the characters facial
expressions would let the teacher know that there was
something wrong. This response indicates awareness of
non-verbal cues such as facial expressions.
He recognised that the friend in the scenario did not
really care because she skipped off and left the
character alone. Testee 6 recognized the false display
of emotions in this social interaction.
He had to be prompted to connect the physiological
signs to emotional responses but when prompted he did
link the characters worry to the physiological signs.
Testee 6 would verbalise how he was feeling and what
he would like to happen. He also described body
language to explain emotion such as turning away to
show you are angry. He expressed the use of both
verbal and non-verbal cues.
He described body language rather than facial
expression such as turning away to show that you are
upset. He is aware of non-verbal expressions of
emotions.
He recognized that in the scenario, the father in the
scenario, is still angry even though he is laughing at
something on TV. Testee 6 recognized that the fathers
outer display of emotion is incongruous with the way he
felt inwardly.

TOTAL FOR SECTION ONE:

8/8

100%

172

SECTION TWO: EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Question
number
1.

2.

Criteria required

Identification of
conflicting emotions.

Using emotional
information to assist
decision making.

Reacting to emotional
information in decision
making.

4.

Connection between
mood, behaviour &
thinking.

175

3.

1.

Connecting emotional
memories to current
judgments.

2.

Connecting mood to
present judgments.

3.

Mood and perspective

changes.

4.

Connecting mood to
reasoning.

Comment on response

Point

Testee 6 recognised a variety of emotions experienced

by the character such as feeling panicked about her
test and worried because she wants to go to the
movies. He identified accurate feelings towards the
situation and provided valid reasons for her
experiencing these emotions.
Initially Testee 6 provided a solution to the problem
such as sharing time between the two activities.
When prompted, he connected the characters feelings
to the decisions made by saying, she is trying to use
her feelings to decide how to use her time. He
therefore recognized the connection between feelings
and decisions.
He recognised that the characters mother could help
her make a suitable decision. He has not however
linked the use of emotional information to the decision
that was made.
The testee did not connect the characters behaviour to
her emotions regarding her friend leaving. Instead he
re-explained what had happened during the day and
commented that she was not happy because her plan
had not worked out.
The testee was able to connect the emotional memories
that the character had about moving house, to the
current judgment of moving to a new country. He
commented that it would be even more difficult moving
to a new country.
He did not clearly indicate that the characters change
in mood would result in a change in judgment but
spoke about his liking the new house and that this
would change his judgment.
Testee 6 commented that John made him feel
different, more happy indicating an understanding
between emotions and perceptions.
The testee did not connect the characters mood to his
reasoning ability, nor did he suggest methods that
would improve his mood. He provided a dependent
strategy which was to get help from his mother.

TOTAL FOR SECTION TWO:

4/8

50%

173

SECTION THREE: UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSING EMOTIONS: EMPLOYING

EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Question
number

Criteria required

1.

Recognising similarities
between emotions.

2.

Recognising the intensity

of different emotions.

3.

Sequential understanding
of emotions.

4.

Emotional blends :
choosing suitable
emotions

1.

Identification of complex
emotions.

2.

Sequential understanding
of emotions.

3.

Differentiating between
similar feelings.

4.

Emotional blends :
choosing suitable
emotions

Comment on response

Point

The testee recognized that all the emotions

included in the scenario expressed anger towards
the girl. This indicates an understanding of the
similarity between these three words.
The testee did not understand the word despair
and commented that this was the strongest
emotion. He explained, the granny would feel the
most angry because she despairs.
He did not explain the sequential nature of
emotions explicitly but rather gave reasons why the
mother in the scenario was less angry.
He provided a variety of words for despair but the
words did not explain the meaning precisely. The
words he used were, very angry, rude,
irritated and terrible.
The testee indicated that the character was feeling
both happy and irritated because his stomach was
not feeling good. He connected the butterflies in
his stomach to a physical rather than an emotional
response. He has not shown a clear understanding
of complex emotions.
He recognized that the character felt both angry
and sad because of his friends reaction. This
indicates that he has recognized the sequential
nature of the characters emotions based on the
current event.
He has not clearly differentiated between the two
words. He explained that proud means happy for
what you have done and that satisfied is happy
with his report.
The testee described eager as being excited,
happy, ready. These words are appropriate
words to describe eager.

TOTAL FOR SECTION THREE:

3/8

37,5%

174

SECTION FOUR: REFLECTIVE REGULATION OF EMOTIONS:

PROMOTING EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Question
number
1.

Criteria required

Detachment from negative

feelings.

2.

Monitoring of emotions

3.

Suitable management of
emotions

4.

Openness to negative
feelings.

1.

Openness to bad/negative
feelings.

2.

Determining whether
emotional response is a
typical one.

3.

Monitoring of emotions.

4.

Engagement in the positive

feelings that will aid goal
achievement.

Comment on response

Point

Testee 6 provided a strategy which would

encourage detachment from the negative emotions.
This involved attempting the difficult question and
trying to get the answer correct.
The testee did not explain that if the character
focused on the negative emotions, this would
decrease his performance in the test. He rather
described how to answer the test paper.
The testee provided suitable methods of how to
handling the test paper but did not adequately
explain how he could make himself feel better in the
test situation. He explained that he should do all the
other questions as best as he can.
The testee did not think that the character should
take his negative feelings into account when
learning for the next test. Consideration of these
negative feelings is important and would help to
guide his current learning task. He said that
thinking about past events would affect his memory
for the current test.
The testee correctly identified the characters
feelings of worry about the audition and the
jealousy experienced by the friends. Testee 6
indicated that the character should be prepared to
experience these negative emotions in order to
reach his goal. He stated that the character should
do what he thinks and not worry about his friend.
His response indicated that he was aware that the
characters response was a typical one and he also
provided a cognitive strategy, telling himself that he
will try and if he doesnt get in, he will try again
next time.
He recognized that these negative feelings could
result in the character not performing well in the
audition because he is distracted by what his
friends have said and that these emotions would
not be useful to successful task completion.
The testee provided suitable cognitive strategies
which involved making himself feel better such as
saying, I dont care, Ill try my best, I will make
new friends. These strategies indicated that he is
able to detach from negative emotions and engage
in emotions that will aid successful task completion.

TOTAL FOR SECTION FOUR:

5/8

62,5%

175

APPENDIX H
SUMMARY OF PARENT INTERVIEW

176

SUMMARY OF PARENT INTERVIEW: TESTEE ONE

PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL & EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

Correlation with
EIAT

1. Perception of
emotions

His mother commented that he is very aware of emotional

information and will easily recognise the emotions
experienced by others. He is aware of facial expressions
and body language and will, through facial expressions, let
others know how he is feeling. Based on non-verbal cues he
will then make deductions about how others are feeling.

2. Expressing
emotional information

His mother indicated that he did indeed demonstrate an

age-appropriate vocabulary and was able to use a range of
emotion words. She maintained that she encouraged her
children to talk about the way they felt, and that she herself
shared her emotional states with her children, when
appropriate. She indicated that her son did not open up and
express his feelings easily, and tended to express his
feelings non-verbally rather than verbally.

3. Appraisal of
emotional information

His mother indicated that he is sensitive to the emotions of

others and is usually able to accurately interpret emotional
cues from body language and facial expressions.

The EIAT and parent

interview identified
Testee 1 as
displaying a good
ability to perceive
both verbal and nonverbal emotional
information.
In the assessment,
he demonstrated an
adequate feeling
vocabulary. He
indicated the
importance of
expressing emotions
verbally, which is
possibly because his
mother encourages it
at home, even
though he does not
spontaneously
express his own
emotions.
The assessment
indicated that he is
able accurately
interpret emotional
information.

EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

1. Using emotions to
facilitate decisions
and judgments

His mother indicates that he will usually respond to events

on a cognitive rather than an emotional level. She did not
connect emotional information to decision making
strategies.

2. Anticipating
situations using
emotional information

His mother generally provides cognitive information

regarding an upcoming event such as the procedure and
what will happen. She did not indicate that she would
discuss emotional information to prepare him for an
upcoming situation.

UNDERSTANDING & ANALYSING EMOTIONS

Emotional
Comment from parent
Intelligence skill
1. Differentiation
between similar

His mother believes that he is able to differentiate between

emotional labels and will get frustrated with himself when

Correlation with
EIAT
He did not
spontaneously
connect emotional
information to
decision making or
judgements about
situations.
In the assessment,
Testee 1 did not
connect emotional
information with his
judgements about an
ensuing situation.

Correlation with
EIAT
He demonstrated an
ability to differentiate

177
emotional labels.

he cannot do something on the computer and recognises

that he gets irritated with his sister. This indicates an
understanding between frustration which is more an inner
response and irritation which is a response to an outward
stimulus.

2. Understanding of
complex emotional
responses.

His mother responded that he often experiences conflicting

feelings about activities and will express both positive
feelings and negative feelings towards the event.

3. Understanding of
the transitional
nature of emotional
information.

His mother comments that he is able to adjust his emotional

states based on the current situation and is sensitive to a
change in emotional information. He may not change his
emotional response immediately.

REGULATION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

1. Openness to
negative emotions.

His mother comments that he is not open to negative

emotions and will try to suppress them. She believes that
he sees these emotions as wrong and that if he expresses
them, he will be in trouble.

2. Detachment of
negative emotions to
aid task completion.

His mother believes that he is able to detach from negative

emotions. He likes to be left alone initially and then she will
go and speak to him later. He usually does not prolong a
bad mood.

3. Emotional
management skills.

He will sometimes go to his mother for emotional guidance.

At times, he will tell a person that he is upset but he usually
prefers to be left alone to deal with his negative feelings
privately.

between emotional
information and
recognised the
similarities between
words such as
irritated, angry
and despair and
recognised the
difference between
words such as
satisfied and
proud.
In the assessment,
he did not clearly
indicate positive and
negative emotions
and tended to focus
on either positive or
negative feelings.
He seemed aware
that emotional
responses do not
remain constant and,
through an
interaction, can
change.

Correlation with
EIAT
In the assessment it
was evident that he
preferred to ignore
negative emotions.
He did not see the
value of these
emotions.
His management
strategies did seem
to indicated that he
prefers detaching
from negative
emotions as he does
not find them useful
when completing
tasks.
His responses in the
assessment indicated
that he makes use of
cognitive strategies to
deal with negative
emotions. These
strategies indicate
that he would prefer
to work through his
emotions privately
and independently.

178

SUMMARY OF PARENT INTERVIEW: TESTEE TWO

PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL & EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

Correlation with
EIAT

1. Perception of
emotions

Her mother indicates that she picks up emotional

information very quickly and easily. She is able to recognise
non-verbal signs of behaviour in others and will then ask,
why are you looking at me like that? Her mom feels that
her ability to recognise non-verbal cues is still developing.

In the EIAT Testee 2

displayed an
advanced ability to
perceive emotional
information both
intrinsically and
extrinsically. Her
ability to recognise
non-verbal cues
seemed well
developed and she
suggested a range of
cues such as tone of
voice, facial
expressions and body
language.

2. Expressing
emotional information

Her mother commented that Testee 2 expresses herself very

well and that she is able to provide abstract phrases to
describe the intensity of her emotional states such as I feel
on top of the world or I am so excited, I could just burst.
She does need to be prompted to express negative
emotions but she certainly has the vocabulary to explain her
feelings adequately. The mother encourages her children to
express their emotions.

Her strong verbal

ability was evident in
the EIAT and she
displayed appropriate
methods of
expressing her
emotions, such as
talking to the person
and telling them why
she feels angry. She
would also make use
of non-verbal cues to
communicate her
feelings.

3. Appraisal of
emotional information

She is able to interpret emotional information and accurately

responds to situations. She knows that there is a difference
between a persons inner and outer emotions.

She scored
inconsistently in her
ability to recognise
the genuineness of
the characters
emotions and tended
to respond to the
characters outer
display of emotions.

EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Emotional
Intelligence skill

1. Using emotions to
facilitate decisions
and judgments

Comment from parent

Her mother indicates that she tends to be quite selfish when

making decisions and will consider her own needs when
making decisions. Her mother acknowledges the need to

Correlation with
EIAT
She did recognise
that her feelings
could help her to

179
consider her own personal needs first but also to consider
the feelings of others. Her mother encourages this but she
still tends to make judgments and decisions on a rational
level and will consider her feelings last.

2. Anticipating
situations using
emotional information

Her mother would tell her what she can expect from a
situation and how to deal with it. Her mother commented
that she would provide her daughter with knowledge as
knowledge is power. This indicates that the facts would be
presented but she did not mention discussing the emotions
which would accompany the situation.

make a decision and

connected the
characters feelings to
the way he/she
viewed a situation. It
seems that she would
indeed consider her
feelings when making
a decision.
Testee 2 seemed
aware of emotions in
understanding
situations and was
able to connect the
way the characters
felt about the
situation to their
judgements and
decisions on the
situation.

UNDERSTANDING & ANALYSING EMOTIONS

Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

Correlation with
EIAT

1. Differentiation
between similar
emotional labels.

Testee 2s mother indicated that she would not be able to

distinguish between similar emotions such as irritation and
frustration.

2. Understanding of
complex emotional
responses.

She is aware that she can be both happy and sad about a
situation and does experience conflicting emotions about a
range of things. She is also able to express these conflicting
emotions.

3. Understanding of
the transitional
nature of emotional
information.

Her mother commented that she is aware of the transitional

effects of emotions and that she is able to adjust her mood
to suit a situation. It may take a while for her to adjust her
emotions, especially if these are very strong emotions.

Testee 2 seemed
competent in
distinguishing
between different
emotional labels. She
did not correctly
explain the emotional
blend despair, but
could distinguish
between proud and
satisfied and
explain the
similarities and
differences between
words like angry,
despair and
irritation.
In the assessment,
she did provide
examples of
conflicting emotions
that the characters
may be experiencing.
She seemed aware
that emotional
responses do not
remain constant and
can change through
an interaction. Her
responses for this
skill were a little
inconsistent: she did

180
not explain her
responses clearly.

REGULATION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

Correlation with
EIAT

1. Openness to
negative emotions.

Her mother felt that she was open to negative emotions and
would verbalise such emotions. She tends to experience
emotions very intensely and her expression of positive or
negative emotions can be inappropriate and overbearing at
times.

In the assessment,
Testee 2 seemed
aware of the
importance of
negative emotions in
guiding our actions
and thoughts.
She indicated the
need to detach from
negative emotions in
order to successfully
complete a task.
She tends to use
independent skills
such as self-soothing
and anxiety reducing
techniques.

2. Detachment from
negative emotions to
aid task completion.

3. Emotional
management skills.

She is able to detach from negative emotions. For instance

in a test she is able to perform well, even when she is
feeling very nervous.

She often prefers to have some time on her own to handle

her emotions and then she just tends to carry on with
things. Her emotions will build up and then she will need to
talk to her mother although often the build-up results in her
emotions being expressed very strongly. She will accept
guidance for her emotions and use this guidance to move
forward.

SUMMARY OF PARENT INTERVIEW: TESTEE THREE

PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL & EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

Correlation with
EIAT

1. Perception of
emotions

She is sensitive towards emotional information and will

notice when someone is unhappy. She is more able to pick
up on non-verbal information rather than verbal information.

The EIAT and parent

interview identified
Testee 3 as
displaying a good
ability to perceive
both verbal and nonverbal emotional
information. In the
EIAT she seemed to
demonstrate a better
recognition of verbal
information.
However, she was
aware of non-verbal
signs, such as
behaviour and facial
expressions.
Testee 3 did not
indicate that she
would naturally
express emotions

2. Expressing
emotional information

Her mother indicated that she finds it difficult to express

emotions and when someone is impatient and wants her to
express her emotions immediately, she tends to clam up
and battles to respond. The family are sensitive towards

181
emotions: however, the mother is more likely to express
emotions to the children whereas the father would rather
hide his emotions.

3. Appraisal of
emotional information

She tends to accept feelings at face value and battles to

interpret the emotional information. If a person is sarcastic,
she will not recognise that this is not a genuine display of
emotion. This makes her wary of new situations.

although she would

provide non-verbal
signs to express her
emotions such as
showing a cross
face. This confirmed
the mothers
response.
The assessment
indicated that she is
still developing the
ability to appraise
genuine and false
displays of emotions.

EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

Correlation with
EIAT

1. Using emotions to
facilitate decisions
and judgments

Her mother indicates that she will usually respond to events

on a cognitive level rather than an emotional level. Her
mother would discuss the emotional aspects of making a
decision such as considering what will make her happy. She
relies on her mother to aid her in her decision making.

2. Anticipating
situations using
emotional information

Her mother spends time reassuring her about the situation

on an emotional level rather than providing her with facts
and details which would assist her in considering the
emotional information related to a new situation.

Her mothers
inclusion of emotional
information in making
decisions and
judgments is evident
in her ability to
consider emotional
information when
making judgments.
However, she does
not seem fully aware
that emotional
information can assist
her in decision
making.
In the assessment,
Testee 3 displayed
the ability to connect
emotional information
to the way she
viewed a situation.

UNDERSTANDING & ANALYSING EMOTIONS

Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

Correlation with
EIAT

1. Differentiation
between similar
emotional labels.

Her mother said that she may have a problem distinguishing

between similar emotions as she may not have an in-depth
understanding of the words. She would probably
understand the gist of the situation even if she cannot
accurately explain it.

Her scores were

inconsistent in this
section. She
managed to correctly
identify the
similarities between
certain feeling words
and not others. It
seemed that she
understood the words
but battled to explain
the words clearly,
such as explaining

182

2. Understanding of
complex emotional
responses.

She does express conflicting emotions, especially related to

her friendships. She will like her friend but will feel sad
about how nasty her friend can be towards her.

3. Understanding of
the transitional
nature of emotional
information.

Her mother commented that she was aware of the

transitional effects of emotions and that she was able to
adjust her mood to suit a situation. She is quite flexible.

that satisfied meant

not so proud of it.
In the assessment,
she did indeed note
conflicting emotions
that the characters
may be experiencing.
She seemed aware
that emotional
responses do not
remain constant and
through an
interaction, emotional
responses can
change.

REGULATION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

Correlation with
EIAT

1. Openness to
negative emotions.

Her mother felt that she was not open to negative emotions
and would rather try to suppress these emotions. She
struggles to express her feelings verbally which could
account for her avoidance of divulging negative emotions.

In the assessment,
testee 3 seemed
aware of negative
emotions and that
they sometimes
accompany difficult
tasks. This
awareness indicates
an internal openness
towards negative
emotions even if she
does not divulge this
emotional
information.

2. Detachment from
negative emotions to
aid task completion.

Her mother feels that she is able to detach from negative

emotions and take things in her stride. She does not
prolong a negative mood but accepts the situation for what
it is.

3. Emotional
management skills.

She tends to handle her emotions independently and will

not spontaneously ask for guidance from her parents. Her
mother usually needs to ascertain what is wrong and will
then provide her with guidance.

She indicated the

need to detach from
negative emotions in
order to successfully
complete a task.
Her emotional
management
strategies did indicate
that she uses
independent,
cognitive strategies to
manage her
emotions.

SUMMARY OF PARENT INTERVIEW: TESTEE FOUR

PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL & EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Comment from parent
Intelligence
skill

Correlation with
EIAT

183
1. Perception of
emotions

His mother indicated that he is aware of emotions and that

he recognises when a family members mood has changed,
and he will show an interest in how one feels. He is aware
that facial expressions covey emotional information.

2. Expressing
emotional
information

His mother felt that he expresses his emotions loudly. He

is very vocal in expressing how he feels and this is not
always constructive. His mother did not think that he
displays an age-appropriate vocabulary but uses
unsophisticated emotional words. The familys expression
of emotions can also be quite volatile and vocal.

3. Appraisal of
emotional
information

His mother indicated that he is sensitive to the emotions of

others, especially her emotions. He is usually able to
correctly identify his mothers emotions. He tends to take
emotions at face value and cannot differentiate between
inner and outer displays of emotions.

EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Emotional
Comment from parent
Intelligence skill
1. Using emotions to
facilitate decisions
and judgments

His mother indicates that he tends to make decisions

without considering the pros and cons of his decision. He
will make a decision impulsively and think about it
afterwards. His mother encourages him to think about his
decision beforehand. The mother viewed feelings as
getting in the way when making decisions.

2. Anticipating
situations using
emotional information

His mother would present him with the possible alternatives

so that he is prepared for the event. She did not mention
including feelings in preparing him for the event.

UNDERSTANDING & ANALYSING EMOTIONS

Emotional
Comment from parent
Intelligence skill

In the EIAT, Testee 4

was able to recognise
outer displays of
emotion such as crying,
or when a person
expresses emotions.
He was not aware of
physiological signs
which signal emotion,
and did not indicate a
clear understanding of
non-verbal cues.
In the EIAT, his feeling
vocabulary was not
always appropriate to
the situation. He did
explain that he would
tell others about the
way he was feeling,
indicating that he was
willing to express his
emotions verbally.
The assessment
indicated that he is still
developing the ability to
discriminate accurately
between feelings, and
that he only considers a
persons outer display
of emotions.

Correlation with
EIAT
He was not aware of
the connection
between the
characters emotions
and the decisions and
judgments that the
character made.
In the assessment,
Testee 4 found it
difficult to connect
emotional information
to his judgements
about an ensuing
situation.

Correlation with
EIAT

184
1. Differentiation
between similar
emotional labels.

His mother did not think that he would be able to accurately

differentiate between similar emotional words, as his
language skills were still developing.

2. Understanding of
complex emotional
responses.

His mother thought that he was unaware of conflicting

emotions as he did not express conflicting emotions but
focused on either positive or negative emotions.

3. Understanding of
the transitional
nature of emotional
information.

His mother commented that he would not independently

adjust his emotional states based on the current situation.
He will usually need to be made aware of the change in
emotional information and then he will adjust his current
emotional mood.

REGULATION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Intelligence skill
1. Openness to
negative emotions.

Comment from parent

His mother comments that he was very open to negative

emotions and will express these emotions freely. As he
tends to be very vocal, he will not suppress how he is
feeling.

2. Detachment from
negative emotions to
aid task completion.

His mother indicates that he tends to respond before

thinking and may not consider the need to detach from
negative emotions. She thinks that he is capable of
detaching from negative emotions if he is made aware that
this would be appropriate.

3. Emotional
management skills.

He is responsive to advice given to him, but it will often take

him a while to ask for assistance. He responds to situations
in a volatile manner such as bursting into tears or
exploding and then he will calm down as his strong
emotions dissipate.

SUMMARY OF PARENT INTERVIEW: TESTEE FIVE

He did not display a

clear understanding
of emotional labels
and battled to
provide suitable
emotional words to
explain blends.
In the assessment,
he did not
demonstrate an
understanding of
conflicting emotions.
He displayed an
understanding of the
sequential nature of
emotions. He
understood that a
change in
circumstance can
alter the characters
emotions.

Correlation with
EIAT
In the EIAT, his
ability to remain open
to negative emotions
was inconsistent. He
did seem willing to
follow his goals, even
though he would
experience negative
emotions.
He tended to seek
outside help to solve
the problem and did
not demonstrate the
ability to monitor his
emotions
independently or to
detach from
inappropriate
emotions.
He did not display an
organised set of
management skills
but seemed to be
starting to manage
his own emotions
cognitively through
self-talk and selfsoothing strategies.

185
PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL & EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Comment from parent
Intelligence skill
1. Perception of
emotions

Her mother indicates that she is a very caring, loving person

who displays empathy towards others and is very aware of a
change in emotions. She is able to pick up non-verbal cues
with her parents but her mother is not sure if she is able to
pick up these cues with others.

2. Expressing
emotional information

Her mother commented that, as a family, they do discuss

emotions and communicate how they are feeling. As
Melissa speaks both English and Afrikaans, her vocabulary
may not be as sophisticated and she tends to use short,
simple words to describe her emotions. She tends to keep
her emotions to herself but her mother encourages her to
discuss and talk about her feelings.

3. Appraisal of
emotional information

She is aware of emotional information and shows empathy

towards others. Her mother does not think she is advanced
enough to recognise a difference between a persons inner
and outer expressions of emotions.

EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Emotional
Comment from parent
Intelligence skill

Correlation with
EIAT
In the EIAT Testee 5
was aware of
emotional information
and recognised both
verbal and non-verbal
displays of emotion.
She was aware of
facial expressions,
tone of voice,
physiological signs
indicating a variety of
ways of perceiving
emotional
information.
She demonstrated a
vast and accurate
feeling vocabulary.
She regarded verbal
expression as an
important method of
letting others know
how one is feeling.
She managed to
discriminate correctly
between genuine and
false displays of
emotions and could
differentiate between
inner and outer
displays of emotions.

Correlation with
EIAT

1. Using emotions to
facilitate decisions
and judgments

Her mother believes that she would consider how her

decision would affect herself and other people. Her mother
encourages her to take into account her family and herself
when making a decision.

Her responses were a

little inconsistent as
she did not always
connect emotions to
the decision making
process. She is
aware of using
emotions and
commented that you
should go with your
heart and mind,
indicating that she
does take feelings
into consideration.

2. Anticipating
situations using

Her mother would discuss issues openly with her daughter

and explain in a manner that Testee 5 would understand.

Testee 5 seemed
aware of emotions in

186
emotional information

She does not cover up her feelings about a situation and will
give reasons for how she is feeling.

UNDERSTANDING & ANALYSING EMOTIONS

Emotional
Comment from parent
Intelligence skill
1. Differentiation
between similar
emotional labels.

Her mother indicated that Testee 5 would not be able to

distinguish between similar emotions such as irritation and
frustration.

2. Understanding of
complex emotional
responses.

Her mother indicates that she is aware that you can feel
both happiness and sadness at the same time. She often
experiences conflicting feelings.

3. Understanding of
the transitional
nature of emotional
information.

Her mother noted that she is still developing the ability to

adjust her mood based on the context of the situation. She
is not able to adjust her mood immediately.

REGULATION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Intelligence skill

her understanding of
situations and was
able to connect the
way the characters
felt about the
situation, to their
judgements and
decisions.

Correlation with
EIAT
Testee 5 seemed
competent in
distinguishing
between different
emotional labels. She
was not sure of the
emotional blend
despair, but
managed to think of
suitable feeling words
to describe eager.
In the assessment,
she did describe
conflicting emotions
that the characters
may be experiencing.
She seemed aware
that emotional
responses do not
remain constant, and
that through an
interaction, emotional
responses can
change.

Comment from parent

Correlation with
EIAT

1. Openness to
negative emotions.

Her mother feels that she tends to suppress her emotions to

avoid burdening her parents with the way she is feeling.
Her emotions will often come out through her play where
she probably expresses herself more freely us.

2. Detachment from
negative emotions to
aid task completion.

When she is very determined, she will detach from negative

emotions in order to reach her goal but with other tasks she
may find it difficult to detach from her feelings.

In the assessment,
she seemed willing to
remain open to
negative emotions
and recognised that
these emotions are
often necessary in
order to reach a goal.
She indicated the
need to detach from
negative emotions in
order to successfully
complete a task.

187
3. Emotional
management skills.

Her mother feels that she keeps her feelings to herself as

she does not want to bother others with the way she is
feeling. Her emotions will sometimes be expressed through
play. Her mother encourages her to discuss the way she is
feeling.

She tends to use

independent skills
such as self-soothing
and anxiety reducing
techniques. Her
positive self-talk was
evident in many of
her responses
indicating an ability
to deal with her
emotions inwardly.

SUMMARY OF PARENT INTERVIEW: TESTEE SIX

PERCEPTION, APPRAISAL & EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Comment from parent
Intelligence skill
1. Perception of
emotions

His mother commented that he is very perceptive towards

emotional information and he will immediately recognise
when there is a change in emotional information. He is able
to make use of body language and facial expressions to
express his own emotions.

2. Expressing
emotional information

His mother indicated that he did demonstrate an ageappropriate vocabulary and was able to use a range of
emotion words. She indicated that he is willing to share his
emotions with family members and will easily express
negative emotions. She explained that as parents, they
encourage their children to talk openly and to not bottle
things up. He will often cry when needing to express
difficult emotions.

3. Appraisal of
emotional information

His mother indicated that he is sensitive to the emotions of

others and is usually able to accurately interpret emotional
cues from body language and facial expressions. He shows
an awareness of the difference between a persons inner
and outer expression of emotions.

EMOTIONAL FACILITATION OF THINKING

Emotional
Comment from parent
Intelligence skill
1. Using emotions to
facilitate decisions
and judgments

His mother indicates that he plans things methodically.

Before making a decision, he will look at pros and cons first.
When giving advice, his mother would link decisions to
emotions, eg make a decision that makes you happy. His

Correlation with
EIAT
The EIAT and parent
interview identified
Testee 6 as
displaying a good
ability to perceive
both verbal and nonverbal emotional
information and a
sensitivity towards
emotional
information.
In the EIAT, he
demonstrated an
adequate feeling
vocabulary and
included a range of
emotional
expressions such as
verbalising, facial
expressions and body
language.
The assessment
indicated that he is
able to accurately
interpret emotional
information and
recognise when
emotions were
genuine and when
they were not.

Correlation with
EIAT
His ability to connect
emotional information
to decisions and
judgments was a little

188
mother reckons that he is more likely to consider emotional
before cognitive information.

2. Anticipating
situations using
emotional information

His mother would talk him through what to expect but she
would also provide information to help him to feel
comfortable in the situation such as telling him, do your
best and it will be okay.

UNDERSTANDING & ANALYSING EMOTIONS

Emotional
Comment from parent
Intelligence skill
1. Differentiation
between similar
emotional labels.

His mother said that he is beginning to accurately

differentiate between emotional labels and to use the words
at appropriate times.

2. Understanding of
complex emotional
responses.

Testee 6 does experience conflicting emotions especially

towards his baby sister. He will feel irritated by what she is
doing but will express his love towards her at the same
time.

3. Understanding of
the transitional
nature of emotional
information.

His mother comments that he is able to adjust his emotional

states based on the current situation and is sensitive to a
change in emotional information.

REGULATION OF EMOTIONS
Emotional
Intelligence skill

Comment from parent

1. Openness to
negative emotions.

His mother maintains that he is very open to negative

emotions and will express these emotions freely, especially
to family members.

2. Detachment from
negative emotions to
aid task completion.

His mother believes that he is able to detach from negative

emotions. He will usually want to talk about it and then will
want some love and attention and then he will forget about
it. His mom commented that he is able to handle

inconsistent and he
did not spontaneously
explain the
importance of the
emotional
information.
In the assessment,
Testee 6 showed an
understanding of
connecting emotional
information to his
judgements about an
ensuing situation.

Correlation with
EIAT
His ability to
accurately explain
and differentiate
between words was
inconsistent. At
times he seemed to
understand the words
but did not provide
precise detail to
accurately explain the
words.
In the assessment,
he did not
demonstrate an
understanding of
conflicting emotions.
His ability to explain
that emotions do not
remain constant
throughout an
interaction was
inconsistent.

Correlation with
EIAT
In the assessment,
he usually displayed a
willingness to remain
open to and to
experience negative
emotions especially in
reaching a goal.
His management
strategies did seem
to indicate that he is
able to detach from

189

3. Emotional
management skills.

disappointments and will accept them when things go

wrong.
He appreciates guidance and will talk and share his
emotions. He does not bottle up his emotions and his
strategy is usually to share his emotions as this makes him
feel better.

negative emotions to
complete a task.
His responses in the
assessment indicated
that he makes use of
cognitive strategies
and self-soothing
strategies to deal
with negative
emotions. His
responses indicated
that he deals with his
emotions
independently.

190

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