Development of the situational test of emotional understanding - brief (STEU-B) using item response theory

There is a growing interest in the application of item response theory (IRT) models to emotional intelligence (EI) as a means of instrument development. The goal of this study was to create a short form of the Situational Test of Emotional Understanding (STEU) based on analysis from a 3-PL IRT model. Analysis of 42 STEU item responses from 822 participants resulted in a 19-item form with a reliability index of .70 and a Cronbach's alpha of .63. It is suggested that this short form of emotion understanding might prove to be a useful research tool when testing time is limited and EI is not the major focus of the study.