Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Relations

Abstract

In 7 studies, the authors examined the link between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relations. In Studies 1 and 2, the participants with higher scores for emotional intelligence had higher scores for empathic perspective taking and self-monitoring in social situations. In Study 3, the participants with higher scores for emotional intelligence had higher scores for social skills. In Study 4, the participants with higher scores for emotional intelligence displayed more cooperative responses toward partners. In Study 5, the participants with higher scores for emotional intelligence had higher scores for close and affectionate relationships. In Study 6, the participants' scores for marital satisfaction were higher when they rated their marital partners higher for emotional intelligence. In Study 7, the participants anticipated greater satisfaction in relationships with partners described as having emotional intelligence.     

Empathy,Perspective Taking and Prosocial Behaviour: The Importance of Parenting Practices

The current study analyzed the relationships among maternal empathy (emotional and cognitive), parenting that encourages the child to take the perspective of others, child cognitive empathy and child prosocial behaviour. Participants were 72 typically developing children (66 Caucasian, six Asian) aged between 47 and 76 months (M = 61.5 months, SD = 8.3 months). Results support the facilitative effect of parenting that encourages the child to take the perspective of others. Thus, the role played by parents in the development of prosocial behaviour extends beyond warm/sensitive/responsive parenting in infancy. Together these forms of parenting are key factors that facilitate the development of prosocial behaviour. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the binary quality of recognition and the inconsequentiality of further knowledge: two critical tests of the recognition heuristic

The recognition heuristic is claimed to be distinguished from notions of availability and fluency through its categorical or “binary” treatment of information and the “inconsequentiality” of further knowledge to inferences based on recognition. Using the city‐size task of Goldstein and Gigerenzer ( 2002 ) we demonstrate that: (1) increasing the validity of other information in the environment decreases the reliance on recognition; (2) cities that are both recognized and have other information known about them (e.g. they have a soccer team) are chosen more often than those which are simply recognized; and (3) there is a negative correlation between the time taken to identify a city and the proportion of times it is selected as the larger of a pair. None of these results is predicted by the process model of the recognition heuristic. The implication of the results for the distinction between the recognition, availability and fluency heuristics is discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Can empathic concern be generalized from one person to others? Another positive side of the ‘one‐among‐others’ effect

Previous research on the one‐among‐others effect has shown that inducing empathic concern towards a victim presented among other individuals in need enhances: (1) awareness of these others and (2) the willingness to help them individually. In this work, we test that these outcomes are linked by an additional process: the generalization of empathic concern felt for the victim towards the others in need. Study 1 revealed that inducing empathic concern for a victim presented as one‐among‐others led to see the others as separate and different individuals, not as a unitary group. Study 2 showed that the one‐among‐others presentation (vs. only‐one‐victim) increased empathic concern towards those presented along with the main victim. Study 3 showed that the one‐among‐others presentation (vs. a single‐victim or a statistical presentation) increased the empathic concern felt for other individuals in need. Therefore, the one‐among‐others presentation does not weaken empathic concern but, instead, it leads to its generalization from one to others.     

The contribution of agreeableness and self‐efficacy beliefs to prosociality

The present study examined how agreeableness and self‐efficacy beliefs about responding empathically to others' needs predict individuals' prosociality across time. Participants were 377 adolescents (66% males) aged 16 at Time 1 and 18 at Time 2 who took part at this study. Measures of agreeableness, empathic self‐efficacy and prosociality were collected at two time points. The findings corroborated the posited paths of relations to assigning agreeableness a major role in predicting the level of individuals' prosociality. Empathic self‐efficacy beliefs partially mediated the relation of agreeableness to prosociality. The posited conceptual model accounted for a significant portion of variance in prosociality and provides guidance with respect to interventions aimed at promoting prosociality. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

特质积极共情：一种高利他性的人格品质

特质积极共情是对他人积极情绪信息感受和分享的能力。目前对特质积极共情的研究刚刚起步,在相关概念内涵上还有待进一步丰富和检验。特质积极共情可以有效促进亲社会行为倾向和良好人际关系的形成,是一种高利他性的人格品质。未来研究中,需要在明确并丰富特质积极共情的内涵界定基础上,开发更为有效的测量工具,探讨其促进社会功能背后的作用机制,并开展提升积极共情能力的理论研究和教育实践。     

大学生的观点采择与助人行为:群体关系与共情反应的不同作用

以56名大学生为被试,采用被试内设计先后在群体内外两种条件下完成观点采择、共情反应与助人行为实验,探讨大学生观点采择在影响其助人行为的过程中,群体关系与共情反应的不同作用。结果表明:(1)在内外群体关系中,大学生观点采择对助人行为的影响均需要借助于共情反应的中介而发挥作用;(2)群体关系在观点采择对助人行为的作用中发挥了一定的调节作用。在内群体关系中,大学生观点采择对助人行为的影响不仅需要借助于共情反应的部分中介效应而发挥作用,同时也存在一定的直接效应;在外群体关系中,大学生观点采择则完全借助于共情反应的中介效应而发挥作用,不存在显著的直接效应。     

Young mothers' play with their toddlers: individual variability as a function of psychosocial factors

There is no one style of parenting which characterizes young mothers as a group. In addition, life circumstances play an important role in shaping maternal behaviour. The aim of this study was to identify patterns of maternal play behaviour and contextual (social and personal) factors associated with these different patterns. In this study, 107 young mothers were observed at home during play with their toddlers; maternal behaviour was coded for joint attention (shared focus of mother and toddler attention) and emotional availability (e.g. sensitivity, intrusiveness, hostility). Mothers reported on aspects of their childhood history and current personal functioning and social support. A person‐centred analytic approach, using cluster analysis, revealed three distinct groups of maternal play behaviour: (1) ‘sensitive‐engaged’ (2) ‘inconsistent‐directive,’ and (3) ‘intrusive‐prohibitive’. Multivariate analyses revealed that contextual factors in mothers' lives (e.g. childhood abuse, depressive symptomatology, partner violence, social support, and parenting self‐confidence) were differentially associated with parenting clusters. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.