A Shortened Spanish Version of the Emotional Creativity Inventory (the ECI-S)

Abstract

Feeling, thinking, and acting creatively contribute to the originality and effectiveness with which people face challenges, solve problems, or make decisions. The only self-perception instrument that evaluates the ability to experience and express emotions in a novel, effective, and authentic way is the Emotional Creativity Inventory (ECI). The aim of this study was to develop a shortened Spanish version of the ECI (the ECI-S) and to validate it in a sample of 1,145 higher education students (650 women and 495 men). The internal structure, internal consistency, and temporal stability of the instrument were examined, as was its external validity. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis corroborated the three-factor structure of the original scale (Preparedness, Novelty, and Effectiveness/Authenticity). Moreover, these dimensions showed adequate internal consistency and temporal stability. The study also provided external validation data based on the relationship between emotional creativity and emotional intelligence, cognitive creativity, personality, and gender. Overall, the results indicate that the ECI-S is a useful tool for evaluating perceived emotional creativity during the preparation and verification phases of the creativity process.