Test of Emotion Comprehension: Exploring the underlying structure through Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Similarity Structure Analysis

Some decades of research on emotional development have underlined the contribution of several domains to emotional understanding in childhood. Based on this research, Pons and colleagues (Pons & Harris, 2002; Pons, Harris & Rosnay, 2004) have proposed the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC) which assesses nine domains of emotional understanding, namely the recognition of emotions, based on facial expressions; the comprehension of external emotional causes; impact of desire on emotions; emotions based on beliefs; memory influence on emotions; possibility of emotional regulation; possibility of hiding an emotional state; having mixed emotions; contribution of morality to emotional experiences. This instrument was administered individually to 182 Portuguese children aged between 8 and 11 years, of 3rd and 4th grades, in public schools. Additionally, we used the Socially in Action-Peers (SAp) (Rocha, Candeias & Lopes da Silva, 2012) to assess TEC’s criterion-related validity. Mean differences results in TEC by gender and by socio-economic status (SES) were analyzed. The results of the TEC’s psychometric analysis were performed in terms of items’ sensitivity and reliability (stability, test-retest). Finally, in order to explore the theoretical structure underlying TEC a Confirmatory Factor Analysis and a Similarity Structure Analysis were computed. Implications of these findings for emotional understanding assessment and intervention in childhood are discussed.

Correspondo eu ou respondes-me tu? Uma questão de desejo

Este estudo propôs-se investigar, como a qualidade da relação amorosa era influenciada pela proximidade, tempo de duração da relação e ainda as dimensões propostas pelo CRQ 6.0 – Central Relationship Questionnaire. A amostra foi constituída por 179 (jovens) portugueses/as, com idades entre 16 e 24 anos, que, mantenham uma relação amorosa. A investigação, de natureza quantitativa, utilizou um protocolo formado pelos instrumentos: Questionário Relationship Questionaire (QRA), Escala de Inclusão do Self (IOS) e Central Relationship Questionnaire (CRQ 6.0) Tendo conta os resultados obtidos, é percetível que a qualidade da relação é influenciada por diversos fatores, apesar de não terem existido dados estatísticos significativos em comparação com as variáveis apresentadas no estudo. Apesar disso a Resposta do Eu, foi a dimensão que mais revelou dados significativos tanto na qualidade da relação, como no tempo de duração da mesma; I correspond or Do you answer me? A matter of desire A study on the quality of love relationships ABSTRACT: This study propose to investigate, how the quality of a relationship was influenced by proximity, duration of the relationship and also the dimensions proposed by the CRQ 6.0 - Central Relationship Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 179 Portuguese young adults, aged 16 and 24, who maintain a loving relationship. The research, quantitative, used a protocol formed by instruments: Relationship Questionnaire Questionnaire (QRA), Self Inclusion Scale (IOS) and Central Relationship Questionnaire (CRQ 6.0) Taking account of the results obtained, it is visible that the quality of the relationship is influenced by several factors, although there has been no significant statistical data compared to the variables presented in the study. Nevertheless the I response was the dimension that showed more significant data both in the quality of the relationship, as time duration.

Social competence and emotional comprehension: How are they related in children?

The developmental progression of emotional competence in childhood provides a robust evidence for its relation to social competence and important adjustment outcomes. This study aimed to analyze how this association is established in middle childhood. For this purpose, we tested 182 Portuguese children aged between 8 and 11 years, of 3rd and 4th grades, in public schools. Firstly, for assessing social competence we used an instrument directed to children using critical social situations within the relationships with peers in the school context - Socially in Action-Peers (SAp) (Rocha, Candeias & Lopes da Silva, 2012); children were assessed by three sources: themselves, their peers and their teacher. Secondly, we assessed children’s emotional understanding, individually, with the Test of Emotion Comprehension (Pons & Harris, 2002; Pons, Harris & Rosnay, 2004). Relations between social competence levels (in a composite score and using self, peers and teachers’ scores) and emotional comprehension components (comprehension of the recognition of emotions, based on facial expressions; external emotional causes; contribute of desire to emotion; emotions based on belief; memory influence under emotional state evaluation; possibility of emotional regulation; possibility of hiding an emotional state; having mixed emotions; contribution of morality to emotion experience) were investigated by means of two SSA (Similarity Structure Analysis) - a Multidimensional Scaling procedure and the external variable as points technique. In the first structural analysis (SSA) we will consider self, peers and teachers’ scores on Social Competence as content variables and TEC as external variable; in the second SSA we will consider TEC components as content variables and Social Competence in their different levels as external variable. The implications of these MDS procedures in order to better understand how social competence and emotional comprehension are related in children is discussed, as well as the repercussions of these findings for social competence and emotional understanding assessment and intervention in childhood is examined.