Emotional intelligence and hot and cool cognitive control ability

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive, use, understand, and regulate emotions. The EI construct has been organized following three main approaches: performance-based ability model, a self-report mixed model, and a self-report ability model. EI appears to be beneficial to the performance of “hot” (i.e., emotionally laden) cognitive tasks when using performance-based ability models but not when using self-report EI models. The aim of the present study is to analyze the relationship between the three models of EI and cognitive control ability during the performance of hot and “cool” (i.e., non-emotionally laden) “go/no-go” tasks. 187 undergraduate students participated in the experimental design. They completed the three EI tests of interest as well as go/no-go tasks; the stimuli used for the hot and cool cognitive task were faces and geometric figures, respectively. Results show that individuals with higher EI, measured through the performance-based ability test, perform better on a hot cognitive control task. Specifically, we provide evidence for negative associations between the “managing” branch of EI measured through the performance-based ability test of EI and the cognitive control index of the hot go/no-go task; when using the self-report EI instruments, no consistent findings were achieved. The study found no such results with the cool task. Findings in terms of the validity and different implications of the different EI models are discussed.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The effects of the quality of social relationships and emotion regulation ability on the happiness of introvert individuals

Previous research has shown that extraverts are happier than introverts and, although happy introverts exist, it is unclear under what conditions they can achieve happiness. The aim of the present study is to analyze the quality of social relationships and emotion regulation ability as a possible factor for happiness in introvert individuals. 1006 adults (42% males) completed measures of extraversion, neuroticism, quality of social relationships, emotion regulation ability and happiness. Results shows that introverts have significantly lower happiness, quality of life, quality of social relationship and emotion regulation ability scores than extraverts. Besides, those individuals with high quality social relationships or high emotion regulation ability were happier. Introverts were happier when they had high scores for quality of social relationships and emotion regulation ability, however the effect size was small. These results suggest that emotion regulation and social relationships are important to understand the relationships between introversion and happiness.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The relationship between the three models of emotional intelligence and psychopathy: a systematic review

Psychopaths are usually characterized as having numerous troubles with social and emotional facets in their daily. In addition, these individuals generate a series of harmful situations to society, such as violence and crime. Due to this, it is very important to find those variables that can reduce these behaviors. In this regard, Emotional Intelligence (EI) or the ability to perceive, use, understand and regulate emotions is a potentially useful variable. EI has been categorized according to three main approaches: performance-based ability, self-report ability and self-report mixed models. Several studies have analyzed the relationship between EI and psychopathy, however inconsistent results have been found. These inconsistencies may be due to the EI model employed to measure it. The objective of our study is to systematically review the previous literature about the relationship between the three models of EI and psychopathy, both in the clinical and total population.Scopus and Medline were searched for finding relevant articles. 29 eligible studies were identified. The results were divided according to the EI model and the population used.The results for both the total and clinical population differ according to the measure of EI employed. Specifically, through performance-based ability models, the majority of studies find a negative relationship between EI and psychopathy, and when EI is measured using self-reports, the results are inconsistent. In conclusion, the results suggest that higher EI abilities measured through performance-based ability models - but not through self-reports - are related to lower psychopathy deficits. Limitations and clinical implications are discussed.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Systematic review: Intrinsic emotion regulation and aggression in preschoolers.

Aggression in early childhood (preschoolers) is related to behavior problems at present and later in life. Emotion regulation (ER) is the process used to manage and change if, when, and how (e.g., how intensely) one experiences emotions and emotion-related motivational and physiological states. Although ER is included as a component in different child aggression intervention programs, there is no recent systematic review of the relationship between both variables. Therefore, this systematic review explores the relationship between intrinsic ER and aggressiveness in preschool children to establish and consolidate the theoretical bases for future specific interventions to prevent aggressive behavior through the training of ER. Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The results were classified according to the evaluation measure, the type of studies, gender, and socio-economic level. We found 33 effect sizes for the correlation between ER and aggression. Following Cohen's (1988) criteria for R correlations, 13 of these were small (-0.12 to -0.29), eight were moderate (-0.30 to -0.48), and 12 were high (-0.58 to -0.69). ER appears to be negatively related to aggressiveness in preschool children. Measurement method, gender, and age are essential factors in this relationship. We discuss possible future research lines, the study's limitations, and the implications of these outcomes at the preventive level.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Influence of emotional intelligence on performance in an emotionally Laden Cognitive Task: an ERP Study.

A higher level of emotional intelligence (EI), understood as a greater ability to perceive, use, understand, and manage emotions, is associated with an increase in performance on emotionally laden cognitive tasks. The main objective of this research was to study the neural basis underlying the execution of an emotional cognitive control task (GoNogo) as a function of ability EI. Forty-four participants were divided into two groups depending on EI level (High EI vs. Low EI). The participants’ task consisted of an emotional face GoNogo task, in which happy, fear and neutral facial expressions were the go and no go stimulus. Results showed a larger N170 and smaller N2 amplitude for the low EI group than for the high EI one. Greater levels of cognitive control were associated to participants with high EI. Our findings show the importance of studying emotion and cognition interaction to explain our behavior and performance. This work was partially supported by the project Innovation and Development Agency of Andalusia, Spain (SEJ-07325) to Pablo Fernández-Berrocal. Alberto Megías is supported by a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral fellowship from the Spanish MINECO (FJCI-2015-25600).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Emotional intelligence and hot and cool working memory capacity

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive, use, understand and manage our emotions and the emotions of others. EI, measured through performance-based ability models, seems to favour performance on hot tasks. The aim of the present study is to analyse the relationship between EI, measured through its three main models, and performance on a hot (emotional) and cool (non-emotional) working memory task. 203 undergraduate students of psychology took part in the experiment. They completed an EI test for each of its three main models (performance-based ability model, self-report ability model and self-report mixed model) and a hot and cool working memory task. We found a better performance for higher EI participants, measured through the performance-based ability model instrument (but not with self-report instruments), in the hot working memory task. This result was obtained for the managing branch of the EI instrument. Similar evidence was not found when using the cool working memory task. Our study takes a step forward in the conceptualization of the EI construct within the domain of cognitive processes. They show that, at least when using hot stimuli, the managing branch of the performance-based ability model of EI is a better determinant measure for the working memory capacity than the self-report models.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Are psychopaths emotionally intelligent?

Psychopathy is a serious personality disorder, characterized by proneness to low anxiety, egocentricity, failure to form close emotional bonds, superficial charm and dishonesty, that has very negative consequences for society as aggression, delinquency and even crime. Therefore, its control and treatment are of great importance. Psychopathy has been related to important emotional deficits as such as a lack of impulse, low empathy and deficits in moral expressions. These findings have led to a growing interest in exploring if psychopathic traits are associated with emotional intelligence (EI) or to the ability to perceive, use, understand, and regulate emotions in one’s self and others. However, the literature exploring this association has revealed conflicting results. The aim of the present study was to provide a reliable estimate of the relationship between psychopathy traits and EI (measured as performance-based ability) through meta-analysis. A quantitative and systematic review of the literature using Scopus, Medline, Pubmed, and PsicINFO and for both Spanish and English studies that included measures of EI and psychopathy, showed a total of 13 studies meeting inclusion criteria with a combined sample of 2401 participants. The meta-analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between both constructs, showing that higher psychopathic trait scores are related to lower EI levels. We propose several future research lines to clarify possible gaps and ambiguities in the current literature and a set of interesting clinical implications for the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of psychopathy by including EI factors in traditional models of psychopathy.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Programas para mejorar la inteligencia emocional desde el modelo de Mayer y Salovey: sus beneficios en el ámbito psicoeducativo

La Inteligencia Emocional (IE) o la habilidad de percibir, usar, entender y regular las emociones ha sido relacionada con numerosos beneficios para las personas. Concretamente, mayores niveles en esta habilidad se han relacionado con una mejor salud tanto física como mental, con un mayor bienestar, un mejor funcionamiento social y rendimiento escolar o una menor agresividad, entre otros. Recientemente, se han desarrollado dos programas para mejorar dichas habilidades: el programa INTEMO e INTEMO +. Dichos programas han sido implementados y validados para adolescentes y están centrados en el aprendizaje de las cuatro habilidades emocionales que abarcan la IE. Diversos estudios demuestran cómo aquellos adolescentes que han sido entrenados con estos programas muestran menor sintomatología clínica que los controles, incluso seis meses después de la finalización del programa. Asimismo, los adolescentes que participaron en el mismo presentaron un mejor ajuste psicosocial y una mayor empatía, así como menores niveles de agresión física y verbal, ira y hostilidad.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A 360º sustainable approach of sport events legacies: A systematic review

Researchers recognise the importance of the legacies and impacts generated by sport events, both in the host city and globally. In turn, there are many actors who participate in them, both directly and indirectly, and who are affected, both positively and negatively, by them. This research aims to identify and compile the existing scientific literature on the legacy, heritage, and related concepts, such as impact and/or leverage, of sport events. To this end, a systematic literature review was carried out, focusing the search on Web of Science, Scopus, Pub Med, and Sport Discus, where 35 articles were finally collected, in which the sum of 44 sport events were studied. It was identified that the most studied types of events were the Olympic Games and World Championships. In relation to the types of legacies, sport stands out, while in the types of impacts, sport and economic impacts stand out. It can be deduced from this research that, although there is a great deal of interest in the subject, there is still a need to go deeper into the concepts to reach a consensus on them, thus being able to achieve more solid results.Ministerio de Educación Cultura y Deporte - Salvador de Madariaga (PRX 16/00367)

Determining Factors in the Use of Urban Parks That Influence the Practice of Physical Activity in Children: A Systematic Review

The design and/or remodelling of urban parks is a good health strategy to alleviate the lack of physical activity (PA) in children and, consequently, the different health problems derived from this. The main objective of the present study was to obtain a systematic review of the design features and characteristics that influence users' visits to urban parks and the PA engagement in them. A literature search was carried out in the Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus databases during the months of June and July 2020. After considering and applying inclusion criteria, the final review sample was formed of 31 scientific papers published between 2010-2020. The results obtained in the review lead us to conclude that the needs of the population (children and family members who care for them) and socio-economic context of the area in which they are built must be considered when constructing and/or remodelling parks. Involving community members in playground renovations can have a positive effect on park use and PA engagement in children