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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Anxiety Disord. 2008 Mar 13;22(8):1487–1495. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2008.03.003

Table 2.

Sample MSCEIT items involving the four EI branches.

EI Branch Sample MSCEIT items
Perceiving Emotions Indicate how much of each emotion is expressed by this face:
None Very Much
Happiness 1 2 3 4 5
Anger 1 2 3 4 5
Fear 1 2 3 4 5
Excitement 1 2 3 4 5
Surprise 1 2 3 4 5

Using Emotions What mood(s) might be helpful to feel when meeting in-laws for the very first time?
Not Useful Useful
a) Slight Tension 1 2 3 4 5
b) Surprise 1 2 3 4 5
c) Joy 1 2 3 4 5

Understanding Emotions Tom felt anxious, and became a bit stressed when he thought about all the work he needed to do. When his supervisor brought him an additional project, he felt ____. (Select the best choice.)
a) Overwhelmed
b) Depressed
c) Ashamed
d) Self Conscious
e) Jittery

Managing Emotions Debbie just came back from vacation. She was feeling peaceful and content. How well would each action preserve her mood?
Action 1: She started to make a list of things at home that she needed to do.
Very Ineffective‥1…‥2…‥3…‥4…‥5‥Very Effective
Action 2: She began thinking about where and when she would go on her next vacation.
Very Ineffective‥1…‥2…‥3…‥4…‥5‥Very Effective
Action 3: She decided it was best to ignore the feeling since it wouldn't last anyway.
Very Ineffective‥1…‥2…‥3…‥4…‥5‥Very Effective