How do stereotype biases influence men’s and women’s emotional intelligence?

This project seeks to understand how gender stereotypes influence interpersonal relationships. It will investigate two questions about emotional intelligence (EI) performance:

1. Can stereotype biases help explain gender differences in EI?
2. How can positive stereotypes help individuals improve their EI?

We will explore how stereotype boosts and threats (the positive and negative influences of stereotypes, respectively) influence gender differences in EI. We will also experiment with the administration of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), an ability-based measure of EI. To do so, it will investigate how subjects perform differently depending on how they explicitly or implicitly view the test in relation to their gender and career.

The project will involve recruiting and administering tests to participants through a on online web-based interface. The findings will be disseminated not only in research journals but also to teachers, parents, and students. The research will help to reduce gender stereotypes related to emotional intelligence, highlight the value of emotional intelligence in both personal and professional relationships, and encourage all individuals to foster emotional intelligence in themselves and others.