Emotional Intelligence:
Improvement Through Exposure
Sara Begley, Frank Bernieri, PhD, and Olivia Calvillo;
Oregon State University
Interpersonal Perception Task (IPT):
Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS):
Results:
4.
1.
•  We found that both the scores for IPT and
PONS significantly increased by week 9.
There is strong evidence in support of the
notion that emotional intelligence scores
increase through exposure.
IPT-­‐15 Scores 5.
2.
12 Conclusion:
11.66
11.5 Who won the game of one-on-one basketball?
a. The man on the left
b. The man on the right
Present Study
In the present study, emotional
intelligence was measured through two
tests: Interpersonal Perception Task
(IPT) and the Profile of Nonverbal
Sensitivity (PONS). The purpose of this
study was to examine how emotional
intelligence increases over time with
practice.
6.
Number of Correct Answers Those scoring high in emotional
intelligence typically can read the room
well, understand relational connections,
detect deception, and other various
aspects of human interaction. But how
do we learn to be emotionally intelligent?
When it comes to interpersonal
perception, it turns out to be difficult to
learn from our mistakes because we
rarely get this feedback. How often do
we find out definitively whether the
person we suspect is lying is telling the
truth or not?
v 11 10.5 10.33
10 For each photo, select the social situation with which it is most
likely to reflect:
1. a. trying to seduce someone
b. expressing deep affection
2. a. helping a customer
b. expressing jealous anger
3. a. ordering food in a restaurant
b. trying to seduce someone
4. a. asking for forgiveness
b. nagging a child
5. a. talking to a lost child
b. talking about the death of a friend
6. a. criticizing someone for being late
b. threatening someone
Method
•  15 participants (11 females and 4
males) committed to taking the IPT
and PONS tests once a week for 9
consecutive weeks.
•  The participants were not told how well
they did, or given any information
about any item or any strategy that
would lead to scoring well.
9.5 IPT Week 1 IPT Week 9 PONS Scores 205 200 199.53
195 Number of Correct Answers Introduction
p-value=.0314
3.
•  The scores for both the IPT and
PONS showed that scores can
increase with practice without any
feedback or hints as to what to
observe in order to make the
correct judgments.
p-value <.0001
190 185 180 178.88
175 Since the results showed that the
participant’s scores increased over
repeated measures, there is evidence
to support the idea that practice can
increase a person’s emotional
intelligence. Emotional intelligence
could simply increase due to
increased exposure to social
interactions. Emotional intelligence is
difficult to teach to individuals
because of the multitude of stimuli
that impact a social interaction. These
results could provide a foundation for
future research in the teaching of
emotional intelligence.
References:
Costanzo, M., & Archer, D. (1991). A method for teaching about verbal and
nonverbal communication. Teaching of Psychology. 18(4), 223-226.
Costanzo, M. (1992). Training students to decode verbal and nonverbal
cues: Effects on confidence and performance. Journal Of
Educational Psychology, 84(3), 308-313.
Hall, Judith A.; Bernieri, Frank J.; Carney, Dana R. (2005) The new
handbook of methods in nonverbal behavior research. Series in
Affective Science. In J.A. Harrigan, R. Rosenthal, & K.R Scherer,
Klaus (Eds.) Interpersonal Sensitivity (pp. 237-281). New York, NY,
US: Oxford University Press.
Hall, J., Andrzejewski, S., & Yopchick, J. (2009). Psychosocial Correlates of
Interpersonal Sensitivity: A Meta-Analysis. Journal Of Nonverbal
Behavior, 33(3), 149-180. doi:10.1007/s10919-009-0070-5
Rosip, J. C., & Hall, J. A. (2004). Knowledge of nonverbal cues, gender, and
nonverbal decoding accuracy. Journal Of Nonverbal Behavior,
28(4), 267-286.
Acknowledgments:
170 165 PONS Week 1 PONS Week 9 Alex Brunot, Thomas Smelter, Chloe Stein, Kyrie Smith, Nancy
Long, Vinneeth Cigicherla, Alex Geelan, Olivia Cooper, Amber
Fultz, Shanshan Lu, Madi Burke, Liz Beltran, and Nikita
Morales.