The Mobile Emotional Intelligence Test (MEIT): An Ability Test to Assess Emotional Intelligence at Work

Abstract

The present study analyzes the Mobile Emotional Intelligence Test (MEIT), a new ability-test to assess emotional intelligence (EI) in a digital way. Taking into account the importance of emotional competencies in the study of employees’ wellbeing and performance, the instrument tested is based on the most supported ability model (Four-branch Mayer and Salovey Model), and it evaluates emotional capacity through nine different emotional tasks. A total of 1549 participants (841 women and 708 men) with an average age of 27.77 (SD = 8.75) fulfilled the MEIT, consisting of 42 items. The score on the test is based on expert judgments: professional psychologists and emotional intelligence specialists. In addition to the MEIT test, a series of questionnaires was used to assess relevant constructs which research has shown to be related to EI (general intelligence, personality traits, and life satisfaction); besides, another measure of emotional intelligence trait (TMMS-24) was included. The results showed that the MEIT is a reliable and valid test that is useful for both scientific research and individual assessment. Statistical analysis provides evidence of the reliability and validity of the three-factor structure of the questionnaire. Moreover, internal consistency measures were high. In line with previous studies, MEIT maintains the expected relationships with the rest of the constructs studied. Finally, the limitations of the present study and the need for future research on emotional intelligence assessment are discussed.