Quantitative psychology

The Multidimensional Inventory of Personal Intelligence (MIPI) was designed to measure three related dimensions of the personal intelligence (PI) construct: emotional intelligence (EI), social intelligence (SI), and motivational intelligence (MI). The MIPI has psychometric properties and a theoretical structure that improves on the shortcomings of existing trait EI measures. The aim of the first study was to create and validate a shortened form (MIPI- Short) that maintains the same factorial structure of the original MIPI. The purpose of the second study was to validate the new scale with measures of conceptually similar constructs (e.g., emotional intelligence, Alexithymia) with various measurement methodologies (self-report, observer-report, and performance-based). Results from Study 1 found that the MIPI-Short had good factorial structure in two independent samples, as well as adequate internal reliability, and good incremental validity. The results of Study 2 demonstrated that the MIPI-Short had good construct validity as it generally related as expected with measures of EI and Alexithymia. The findings of both studies provide evidence for the validity of the MIPI-Short as a brief measure of Personal Intelligence. Directions for further research are emphasized, as the validation process is on-going for any assessment tool.

Author Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Personal Intelligence, Socio-Emotional Competencies

Trait Emotional Intelligence (EI) includes competencies and dispositions related to identifying, understanding, using and managing emotions. Higher trait EI has been implicated in post-secondary success, and better career-related decision-making. However, there is no evidence for whether it predicts the pursuit of post-secondary education (PSE) in emerging adulthood. This study investigated the role of trait EI in PSE pursuit using a large, nationally-representative sample of Canadian young adults who participated in the National Longitudinal Survey for Children and Youth (NLSCY). Participants in this dataset reported on their PSE status at three biennial waves (age 20-21, 22-23, and 24-25), and completed a four-factor self-report scale for trait EI (Emotional Quotient Inventory: Mini) at ages 20-21 and 24-25. Higher trait EI subscale scores were significantly associated with greater likelihood of PSE participation both concurrently, and at 2- and 4-year follow-ups. Overall, these associations were larger for men than women. Trait EI scores also showed moderate levels of temporal stability over four years, including full configural and at least partial metric invariance between time points. This suggests that the measure stays conceptually consistent over the four years of emerging adulthood, and that trait EI is a relatively malleable attribute, susceptible to change with interventions during this age period.

Author Keywords: Emerging Adulthood, Longitudinal, Post-Secondary Pursuit, Trait Emotional Intelligence

It is well-established that alexithymia in adulthood is a critical risk factor for numerous negative mental health and well-being outcomes. Although this area of research has begun to receive interest in earlier developmental stages, significant methodological limitations have been noted with current measures of alexithymia for adolescence. As such, the aim of the current thesis was to provide empirical evidence on the psychometric strength of a new adolescent measure of alexithymia, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale – Adolescent Version (TAS-A). Study 1 examined the construct validity of the TAS-A in relation to self and informant reported emotional intelligence (EI), while study 2 examined the predictive validity of the TAS-A in relation to adolescent problematic gambling and academic achievement. Adolescents completed self-reports of alexithymia, EI, and gambling behaviour, parents completed informant reports regarding their child's EI, and academic records were obtained. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed significant relationships between adolescent alexithymia, and self and informant reported EI, indicating significant overlap in constructs. Adolescent alexithymia was also shown to be a significant predictor of problematic gambling and academic achievement; however, some interesting gender differences were observed (a pattern of results reported consistently in the adult alexithymia literature). Results are discussed in terms of methodological and clinical implications during the vulnerable developmental transition of adolescence.

Author Keywords: adolescence, alexithymia, psychometrics