Assessing Emotions Scale (AES)
(Schutte et al., 1998 ).
Variable
This scale is based on Salovey and Mayer’s (1990) original model that focuses on appraising, expressing,
regulating, and using emotions. More recently, Mayer et al. (2004) have somewhat modified their model, defining
EI as an ‘ability’, but the AES has remained grounded in the original model.
Description
The AES has been variously referred to as the Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Self-Report Emotional
Intelligence Test, and the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale. It has 33 items with minimal reading level,
answered on a 5-point Likert-type response scale that ranges from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’.
The intent of the scale is to provide an overall measure of EI, with scores ranging from 33 to 165 and higher
scores indicating greater levels of EI. Variants of the scale have been proposed by Austin, Saklofske, Huang, and
McKenney (2004) as well as Gignac, Palmer, Manocha, and Stough (2005) .
Sample
While the scale-validation sample was not extensively described, it did include both university students and
‘individuals from diverse community settings’ ( Schutte et al, 1998 , p. 170) with a mean age of 29.27 years
(SD510.23). Of a total of 346 participants, 218 were women and 111 men (17 did not report their gender).
The mean EI scores were 13.94 ( SD515.09) for women and 124.78 ( SD516.52) for men, a difference that was sta-
tistically significant, ( p,0.001).
Reliability
Internal Consistency
The Cronbach alpha coefficient was .90 in the initial study. A second study was conducted with a very small
sample of USA college students (27 female, 5 male; mean age 530.11 years, SD58.45), yielding an alpha coeffi-
cient of .87. Since then, a number of studies have reported internal consistency estimates for the AES using
diverse populations (e.g., university students, community members, employees) from different countries (e.g.,
Canada, Israel, New Zealand, Poland). Those studies reported alpha coefficients ranging from .76 to .95, with the
majority being in the .80 to .90 range ( Schutte, Malouff, & Bhullar, 2009 ).
Test/C0Retest
A small sample of USA college students (22 females, 5 males; mean age 532 years, SD510.13) completed the
AES on two occasions separated by two weeks, resulting in a test /C0retest coefficient of .78.
Validity
Convergent/Concurrent
Several studies supporting the validity of the AES were included in the original article. For example, the AES
was positively and significantly correlated ( p,.0001) with the TMMS subscales of Attention to feelings ( r5.63,
N548), Clarity of feelings ( r5.52,N547) and Mood Repair ( r5.68,N547), as well as with the optimism scale
of the Life Orientation Test ( r5.52,N526). Further, it correlated strongly with both the TEIQue ( r5.73), MEIA
(r5.84;Gardner & Qualter, 2010 ), and the EQ-i ( r5.21;Brackett & Mayer, 2003 ).
Correlations between the AES and the Big Five scores derived from various measures have been weak to mod-
erate across studies, with Openness ( r5.43 to .54) and Extraversion ( r5.31 to .61) emerging as the strongest per-
sonality correlates ( Schutte et al., 2009 ).
Divergent/Discriminant
The AES did not correlate with social-desirability indicators (Kirk et al., 2007) and correlated weakly with the
MSCEIT ( r5.18;Brackett & Mayer, 2003 ).401 TRAIT EI MEASURES
III. EMOTION REGULATION