Mental Health RAISR4D

Advanced statistical models to handle response styles and uncertainty when modelling emotional intelligence of elite swimmers

23/05/2026

AI Summary

Emotional intelligence is crucial for sporting success and requires accurate psychological assessment using Likert-type scales.
Response styles and uncertainty in Likert responses can bias measurements, reducing validity of emotional intelligence scores.
Latent trait models that model specific response behaviour outperform simple IRT models for elite swimmers' emotional intelligence assessment.

Sci Rep. 2026 May 22;16(1):16008. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-46938-4.

ABSTRACT

Emotional intelligence is a key factor for success in sporting competitions, arousing great interest in the psychological assessment of athletes. When the evaluation of psychological behaviour relies on Likert-type psychometric scales, individuals could tend to respond to items regardless of their content or by selecting the extremes or the middle part of the response scale, compromising the measurement process. In this vein, the present paper aims to address measurement issues regarding uncertainty and response style during the assessment of emotional intelligence of elite swimmers by exploiting latent trait models. Results provide evidence in favour of models accounting for specific response behaviour compared to simple item response theory models.

PMID:42173936 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-026-46938-4

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