Results and Comments
The unique feature of the LEAS in the ability EI literature is its narrow measurement domain (emotional
awareness) and focus on qualitatively distinguishable levels, rather than scores on continuous measurement
scales. A strength over other maximum-performance measures of emotion-related qualities is that responses are
scored against strictly defined criteria, instead of elusive expert or consensus data. By pooling the data of various
samples, it was shown that there is a stable and generalizable sex difference in emotional awareness ( Feldman-
Barrett, Lane, Sechrest, & Schwartz, 2000 ). Clinical research with the LEAS showed that patients with PTSD score
significantly lower on the LEAS than non-PTSD controls. Also, LEAS scores were differentially associated with
activation in the ventral anterior cingulate cortex between PTSD patients and healthy controls during trauma-
script imagery ( Frewen et al., 2008 ).
LEAS SAMPLE ITEM
Scene 20 from the LEAS (as reported in Lane et al., 1996 )
You and your best friend are in the same line of
work. There is a prize given annually to the best perfor-
mance of the year. The two of you work hard to
win the prize. One night the winner is announced:
your friend. How would you feel? How would your
friend feel?
Example of responses at each level
0/C0I don’t work hard to win ‘prizes.’ My friend
would probably feel that the judges knew what they
were doing.
1/C0I’d feel sick about it. It’s hard for me to say
what my friend would feel /C0it would all depend
on what our relationship was like and what the prize
meant to her.
2/C0I’d probably feel bad about it for a few days and
try to figure out what went wrong. I’m sure my
friend would be feeling really good.3/C0We would both feel happy. Hey, you can’t win
‘em all!
4/C0I would feel depressed /C0the friend in this light
is just like any other competitor. I would also
begrudgingly feel happy for my friend and
rationalize that the judges had erred. My friend
would feel very gratified but would take the prize in
stride to save the friendship.
5/C0I’d feel disappointed that I didn’t win but glad
that if someone else did, that person was my friend.
My friend probably deserved it! My friend would
feel happy and proud but slightly worried that my
feelings might be hurt.
Notes : The LEAS and its scoring manual may be
obtained from Dr. Lane at lane@u.arizona.edu .T h e
child form LEAS-C (including three translations) can be
obtained from: www.uow.edu.au/hea lth/iimh/archives/
UOW024727.html (Reproduced with permission).
Situational Test of Emotional Understanding (STEU) and Management (STEM)
(MacCann & Roberts, 2008 ).
Variable
The STEU and STEM are two newer measures of ability EI. As their labels indicate, these measures more spe-
cifically assess emotional understanding and management, which are also two of the four EI dimensions of
Mayer and Salovey’s (2000) model.
Description
The STEU and STEM were developed to distinguish between construct and test effects, as the MSCEIT was at
that point the only measure of ability EI and specifically of Mayer et al.’s (2000) four-branch model. Another driv-
ing force that prompted the authors to develop these measures was the MSCEIT’s rate-the-extent procedures and
expert or population-based scoring procedures. Consistent with Roseman’s (2001) appraisal theory, STEU items
are scored according to clearly defined standards. The STEU consists of 42 multiple-choice items (14 related to
specific contexts, 14 related to personal life in general, and 14 related to the workplace), from which a total score
is derived by calculating the mean. The total scores range from 0 to 1.
Based on the Situational Judgement Test paradigm, the STEM measures people’s management of three emo-
tions (fear, anger, and sadness), providing two response formats: (a) multiple-choice, whereby the respondent390 14. MEASURES OF ABILITY AND TRAIT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
III. EMOTION REGULATION