Faking emotional intelligence (EI): comparing response distortion on ability and trait‐based EI measures

Abstract

AbstractWe compared the susceptibility of two emotional intelligence (EI) tests to faking. In a laboratory study using a within‐subjects design, participants completed the EQ‐i and the MSCEIT in two sessions. In the first session (i.e., the ‘applicant condition’), participants were given a job description and asked to respond to the EI measures as though they were applying for that job. Participants returned 2 weeks later to repeat the tests in a ‘non‐applicant’ condition in which they were told to answer as honestly as possible. Mean differences between conditions indicated that the EQ‐i was more susceptible to faking than the MSCEIT. Faking indices predicted applicant condition EQ‐i scores, after controlling for participants' non‐applicant EQ‐i scores, whereas the faking indices were unrelated to applicant condition MSCEIT scores, when the non‐applicant MSCEIT scores were controlled. Using top‐down selection, participants were more likely to be selected based on their applicant condition EQ‐i scores than their non‐applicant EQ‐i scores, but they had an equal likelihood of being selected based on their MSCEIT scores from each condition. Implications for the use of these two EI tests are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.