Confirmation of the three-factor model of the Assessing Emotions Scale (AES): verification of the theoretical starting point.

Several measures have been developed for the quantification of emotional intelligence. One widely applied method is the Assessing Emotions Scale, whose factor structure has attracted much scientific attention. The objective of the present study was to identify which of the previously suggested models are the most appropriate. By applying confirmatory factor analysis, we have tested the original one-, three-, four-, and six-factor solutions. Results confirmed the three-factor structure to be the most suitable solution. We suggest that the factors in this structure are better described by the labels "appraisal of emotions," "optimism and regulation of emotions," and "intrapersonal and interpersonal utilization of emotions." Supplemental materials for this article may be downloaded from http://brm.psychonomic-journals.org/content/supplemental.