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A meta-analysis of the relationship between emotion recognition ability and intelligence
Katja Schlegel1, Tristan Palese2, Marianne Schmid Mast2
1Institute for Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Cognition & Emotion
|June 22, 2019
Summary
Emotion recognition ability (ERA), the skill to perceive emotions from nonverbal signals, is moderately linked to intelligence. This meta-analysis found ERA is a distinct sensory-cognitive ability, not directly tied to academic success.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Social Cognition
Background:
- Emotion recognition ability (ERA) is crucial for social interaction.
- Previous research suggests a link between ERA and general intelligence, but comprehensive analysis is lacking.
- Variations in this association based on intelligence type, ERA test characteristics, and demographics remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a meta-analysis examining the relationship between ERA and intelligence.
- To investigate if intelligence type, ERA test features, or demographic variables moderate this association.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of 471 effect sizes from 133 independent samples.
- Examination of various intelligence types (crystallized, fluid, spatial, memory, processing speed).
- Comparison of ERA tests using different cue modalities (multimodal vs. static images) and test characteristics (reliability, number of emotions).
Main Results:
- A significant, moderate positive association between ERA and intelligence (r = .19).
- Similar effect sizes across different types of intelligence; no association with academic achievement (e.g., SAT scores).
- Higher effect sizes for ERA tests using multimodal cues and those with higher reliability and more emotions. Effect size increased with sample mean age.
Conclusions:
- ERA is a distinct sensory-cognitive ability moderately related to general intelligence.
- The relationship is influenced by the type of ERA assessment used.
- ERA is not directly predicted by academic performance measures.
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