MEIA-R Psychometric Summary

The MEIA-R and MEIA-W-R cover 6 core dimensions of EI. These core dimensions can be considered the fundamental building blocks of EI. The MEIA-R and MEIA-W-R also assess 5 proximal outcomes, which reflect behaviors that are likely to be impacted by the core dimensions. The MEIA-R and MEIA-W-R build upon the original MEIA and MEIA-W by adding Delayed Gratification as a proximal outcome. In addition, the names of some dimensions were modified slightly to enhance interpretability.  

Items for the MEIA-R and MEIA-W-R were developed based on Salovey and Mayer’s (1990) multidimensional conceptualization of EI. For the MEIA-W-R, item content was tailored to measure EI as expressed in the workplace. Following data collection from multiple samples and extensive analyses, the item content of the original MEIA and MEIAW was optimized and refined for inclusion in the MEIA-R and MEIA-W-R to minimize response bias. Moreover, additional items were developed specifically to measure dimensions of EI not adequately covered by existing scales. Each dimension of the MEIA-R and MEIA-W-R is measured by six items, with a balance between positive- and reverse-keyed items. 

MEIA-R Norms. The norms for the MEIA-R were derived from the responses of N = 363 individuals recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The norm sample was 55.6% male, with an average age of 38.96 years (SD = 11.41). In the sample, 74.7% self-identified as Caucasian, 10.7% as Black, 7.4% as Asian, and 5.2% as Hispanic. 

MEIA-W-R Norms. The norms for the MEIA-W-R were derived from the responses of two MTurk studies (total N = 940). The norm sample was 50.7% male, with an average age of 39.34 years (SD = 11.21). In the sample, 77.4% self-identified as Caucasian, 7.9% as Black, and 3.1% as Hispanic. 

The validation evidence below was obtained from the norm sample and a separate sample of 220 adults recruited through Amazon MTurk, who completed the MEIA-W-R, as well as a wider range of measures. As described in the following sections, evidence of construct validity for the MEIA-W-R was evaluated by examining correlations with other measures of trait EI, measures of personality, and measures of cognitive ability. All analyses were computed in this MTurk sample (N = 220), except correlations with the PRF-R, which used the norm sample (N = 940). 

As shown in Table 13, the dimensions of the MEIA-W-R were positively related to the broad leadership competencies measured by SIGMA’s Leadership Skills Profile-Revised (LSP-R). The LSP-R is a validated, personality-based assessment of expected performance on leadership competencies. Except for Trust in Intuition and Expressive Control, the MEIA-W-R dimensions were moderately related to multiple leadership competencies.

The MEIA-R and MEIA-W-R each provide a comprehensive assessment of EI, covering a broad range of core EI dimensions as well as proximal outcomes strongly related to EI. The MEIA-R and MEIA-W-R offer a shorter administration time with updated items, revised labels, and expanded content that minimizes response bias. In addition, the MEIA-W-R measures EI in a workplace context, which maximizes the prediction of job performance and other workplace-relevant outcomes.