Group differences in emotional intelligence scores: theoretical and practical implications

Emotional intelligence is a relatively new concept and little research to date has examined group differences in test scores. In this study a common measure of emotional intelligence (EI) was administered to 275 participants (216 female) to examine how different groups score on a test of EI. Differences were compared for gender, ethnicity and age. Results indicated that females scored slightly higher than males and EI scores tended to increase with age. Group differences existed for ethnicity but favored minority groups, mitigating potential adverse impact concerns. Full implications for test development and organizational use are discussed.