Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale- 10 (BEIS-10)

Abstract

The Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale- 10 (BEIS-10) is a concise, self-report psychological scale designed to measure an individual’s perceived level of Emotional Intelligence (EI). Developed by Davies, Lane, Devonport, and Scott in 2010, the BEIS-10 is an abbreviated version intended for use in settings where administration time is limited, such as large-scale surveys or applied psychology contexts. This instrument captures five distinct facets of emotional intelligence, based conceptually on the foundational ability model proposed by Salovey and Mayer (1990, 1997).

The scale employs a 5-point Likert response format and consists of ten items distributed across five subscales: Appraisal of Own Emotions, Appraisal of Others’ Emotions, Regulation of Own Emotions, Regulation of Others’ Emotions, and Utilization of Emotions. The BEIS-10 provides a rapid yet psychometrically sound method for assessing core EI capabilities, demonstrating satisfactory validity and reliability while maintaining brevity.

Keywords

Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale, BEIS-10, emotional intelligence, EI, self-report measure, affect, emotion regulation, appraisal, utilization.

Authors

Davies, K. A., Lane, A. M., Devonport, T. J., Scott, J. A.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale- 10 (BEIS-10) is to provide a quick, efficient, and psychometrically sound measure of emotional intelligence. Recognizing the limitations of lengthy scales in various research and applied settings, the authors aimed to create a streamlined instrument that retains the core structure and predictive utility of more extensive measures, such as the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS; Schutte et al., 1998).

The scale is specifically useful for researchers needing to incorporate an EI measure without imposing excessive respondent burden. It operationalizes emotional intelligence as a set of abilities related to the processing and management of emotional information, suitable for assessing individual differences in emotional competence across diverse populations, particularly in performance-related fields like sport and exercise psychology.

Construct

The BEIS-10 measures Emotional Intelligence (EI), drawing heavily from the four-branch ability model conceptualized by Salovey and Mayer (1997). This model defines EI as the ability to perceive, use, understand, and manage emotions. The BEIS-10 operationalizes this broad construct through five distinct, yet interrelated, facets, capturing the key components necessary for comprehensive emotional functioning.

These five facets, which map closely to the core abilities of the EI model, include: 1) Appraisal of own emotions (understanding internal emotional states); 2) Appraisal of others’ emotions (perceiving emotions in others); 3) Regulation of own emotions (managing and modifying personal feelings); 4) Regulation of others’ emotions (influencing the emotional states of others); and 5) Utilization of emotions (using emotions to facilitate cognitive activities and motivation). This multifactorial approach ensures that the brief scale covers the essential dimensions of emotional competence.

Validity

The validity of the BEIS-10 has been rigorously examined, demonstrating strong empirical support for its intended use. Content validity is established by ensuring that the 10 items adequately represent the five core facets of emotional intelligence derived from established theoretical models. Crucially, the scale exhibits good construct validity, showing significant correlations with established, longer EI measures, such as the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS).

Furthermore, convergent validity studies have shown that the BEIS-10 correlates appropriately with measures of related psychological constructs, including personality traits and emotional regulation strategies. Discriminant validity is also supported by findings indicating that the scale measures EI distinctly from general intelligence or certain stable personality factors, reinforcing its utility as a unique measure of emotional competence. The original study detailing the scale’s validity and reliability can be reviewed via the following PDF link: Davies, K. A., Lane, A. M., Devonport, T. J., & Scott, J. A. (2010). Validity and reliability of a Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale (BEIS-10).

Reliability

The BEIS-10 exhibits acceptable levels of internal consistency, which is a key measure of reliability, especially given its brevity. While brief scales often face challenges in achieving high reliability scores due to fewer items, the BEIS-10 maintains adequate Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for its overall score, suggesting that the items consistently measure the underlying construct of emotional intelligence.

Test-retest reliability is also a critical consideration for demonstrating stability over time. Studies on the BEIS-10 confirm its temporal stability, indicating that scores remain consistent when administered to the same individuals across reasonable time intervals. This stability supports its use in tracking emotional competence over time or as a stable trait measure. The psychometric properties, including reliability, were established in the 2010 foundational paper by the scale’s authors.

Factor Analysis

Initial investigations using Factor Analysis have explored the underlying structure of the BEIS-10. While the scale is theoretically designed to capture five specific dimensions (Appraisal of Own, Appraisal of Others, Regulation of Own, Regulation of Others, and Utilization), the limited number of items (two per factor) often leads to challenges in clearly isolating all five factors statistically in typical exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA).

Despite the constraints inherent in a 10-item measure, confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) often supports the scale’s theoretical structure when modeled as a unified, higher-order construct of general emotional intelligence, with the five facets serving as first-order factors. In practical application, the BEIS-10 is frequently scored as a single global measure of EI, although researchers may analyze the individual factor scores when specific dimensional assessment is required, provided the sample size and statistical methods are robust enough to handle the sparse item distribution.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire, Ability-based Emotional Intelligence (perceived ability).

Format: 10 items, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1= Strongly Disagree to 5= Strongly Agree.

Language Available: Primarily English (validated in 2010). Translations may exist in various research contexts.

Population Group: General population, frequently used in student, athlete, and adult samples.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 16 years and older).

Population Details: The original validation study included university students and young adults, but the instrument is broadly applicable to any population capable of understanding the self-report format.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement with statements describing their emotional competencies. Scores are typically summed across all 10 items to yield a total EI score, or subscale scores can be calculated by summing the two items related to each of the five facets.

Keywords

Psychometrics, self-assessment, emotional competence, Likert scale, Davies, Lane, Devonport, Scott, ability model, brevity.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale- 10 (BEIS-10) was developed and published in 2010. As a brief scale published in an academic journal, it is generally accessible for non-commercial academic and research use, subject to standard copyright laws and appropriate citation of the original authors (Davies et al., 2010). Users should consult the original publication or contact the authors for specific commercial or clinical usage permissions. No specific fee structure is provided in the source material.

Reference’s

• Davies, K. A., Lane, A. M., Devonport, T. J., & Scott, J. A. (2010). Validity and reliability of a Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale (BEIS-10). Journal of Individual Differences, 31(4), 198–208.

• Davies, K. A., Lane, A. M., Devonport, T. J., & Scott, J. A. (2010). Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale (BEIS-10). In: Simmons C. A., Lehmann P. (eds). Tools for strengths-based assessment and evaluation, New York, NY: Springer, pp. 327-328. (2013).

• Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey & D. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Implications for educators (pp. 3–31). New York: Basic Books.

• Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9, 185–211.

• Schutte, N. S., Malouff, J. M., Hall, L. E., Haggerty, D. J., Cooper, J. T., Golden, C. J., & Dornheim, L. (1998). Development and validation of a measure of emotional intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences, 25, 167–177.

Items of the Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale- 10 (BEIS-10)

Appraisal of own emotions

1. I know why my emotions change
2. I easily recognize my emotions as I experience them

Appraisal of others’ emotions

3. I can tell how people are feeling by listening to the tone of their voice
4. By looking at their facial expressions‚ I recognize the emotions people are experiencing

Regulation of own emotions

5. I seek out activities that make me happy
6. I have control over my emotions

Regulation of others’ emotions

7. I arrange events others enjoy
8. I help other people feel better when they are down

Utilization of emotions

9. When I am in a positive mood‚ I am able to come up with new ideas
10. I use good moods to help myself keep trying in the face of obstacles

The response format utilizes a 5-point Likert scale:

1= Strongly Disagree to 5= Strongly Agree

The original PDF detailing the instrument’s psychometrics can be downloaded here: Davies, K. A., Lane, A. M., Devonport, T. J., & Scott, J. A. (2010).