Introducing a short version of the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test (GERT-S): Psychometric properties and construct validation

Abstract

The ability to accurately interpret others' emotional expressions in the face, voice, and body is a crucial component of successful social functioning and has been shown to predict better outcomes in private and professional life. To date, emotion recognition ability (ERA) has mostly been measured with tests that heavily rely on static pictures of the face and on few emotions, restricting their content validity. Recently, Schlegel, Grandjean, and Scherer (Psychological Assessment, 26, 666-672, 2014) published a new test that measures ERA in a more comprehensive fashion, by (1) including a wide range of 14 positive and negative emotions and (2) using video clips with sound that simultaneously present facial, vocal, and bodily emotional cues. This article introduces the short version of the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test (the GERT-S), and presents two studies (total N = 425) that examine the internal consistency, factor structure, and convergent and discriminant validity of the test. The results show that the GERT-S is a unidimensional test with good internal consistency. Furthermore, the GERT-S was substantially positively correlated with other ERA tests, with tests of emotional understanding and emotion management, and with cognitive ability. Taken together, the present studies demonstrate the usefulness of the GERT-S as an instrument for the brief and reliable assessment of ERA. It is available, free of charge and in seven different languages, for academic research use. Given the brief test-taking time (approx. 10 min) and its possible administration via different online platforms, the GERT-S can easily be integrated by researchers into their own studies.

Appraisal-driven facial actions as building blocks for emotion inference.

“…Task 2: Emotion recognition test. We used the short version of the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test (GERT-S, Schlegel & Scherer, 2016; see also Schlegel & Scherer, 2016), which contains 42 video clips, lasting 1 to 3 s, which were taken from the GEMEP core set. In these video clips, 10 French-Swiss actors (five males, five females) portray 14 different emotions by using facial expressions, gestures and two different meaningless speech-like utterances.…”

Removing situation descriptions from situational judgment test items: Does the impact differ for video‐based versus text‐based formats?

“…Furthermore, we also investigated zero‐order correlations of the SJT scores in the six conditions with ratings on broad personality dimensions (Rammstedt & John, ) and emotional intelligence – including the three subtests: emotion perception, emotion understanding, and emotion regulation/management (Allen et al , ; Allen, Weissman, Hellwig, MacCann, & Roberts, ; Schlegel, Grandjean, & Scherer, ; Schlegel & Scherer, ). We did so to detect potential differences in construct saturation in SJT scores across the conditions.…”

Effectiveness of a short audiovisual emotion recognition training program in adults

“…Upon arrival in the laboratory, participants were randomly assigned to either the TERA group (N = 52) or the untreated control group (N = 51). Participants in the training group first underwent the TERA (duration about 35 minutes) and then completed three ERA tests that were presented in a random order: the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test short form (GERT-S; Schlegel & Scherer, 2016), the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy adult faces test (DANVA2-AF, hereafter referred to as "DANVA Face"; Nowicki, 2006), and the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy adult voices test (DANVA2-AV, hereafter referred to as "DANVA Voice"; Nowicki, 2006). Participants in the untreated control group filled in several personality questionnaires that were unrelated to the present study and roughly required the same amount of time and concentration as the training.…”

“…Thirty-six of the 42 clips were selected from the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test (GERT; Schlegel, Grandjean, & Scherer, 2014; see below for a description), which is a standard ERA test consisting of GEMEP portrayals. The 36 selected clips did not overlap with the items of the short form of the GERT (GERT-S; Schlegel & Scherer, 2016; see below for a description).…”

“…Correct answers correspond to the emotion that the actor had been instructed to portray in the GEMEP database. Eight studies including the GERT and the GERT-S conducted in German, French, English, and Dutch provided substantial evidence for the high reliability (Cronbach's alpha around .80 in all studies) and construct validity of these tests (Schlegel et al, 2014;Schlegel & Scherer, 2016;. Specifically, they were positively correlated with a range of other ERA tests, performance measures of emotional intelligence, and with adaptive self-reported personality traits (e.g., empathy), whereas they were negatively correlated with maladaptive affective traits such as alexithymia, trait anxiety, and trait anger.…”