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Introducing the MiniPONS: A Short Multichannel Version of the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS)

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Abstract

Despite extensive research activity on the recognition of emotional expression, there are only few validated tests of individual differences in this competence (generally considered as part of nonverbal sensitivity and emotional intelligence). This paper reports the development of a short, multichannel, version (MiniPONS) of the established Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS) test. The full test has been extensively validated in many different cultures, showing substantial correlations with a large range of outcome variables. The short multichannel version (64 items) described here correlates very highly with the full version and shows reasonable construct validity through significant correlations with other tests of emotion recognition ability. Based on these results, the role of nonverbal sensitivity as part of a latent trait of emotional competence is discussed and the MiniPONS is suggested as a convenient method to perform a rapid screening of this central socioemotional competence.

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Notes

  1. PONS features 220 items, but 25 items had zero variance (all participants selected the correct answer) and could not be used in the analysis.

  2. MiniPONS features 64 items, but 3 items had zero variance (all participants selected the correct answer) and could not be used in the analysis.

  3. A correction for attenuation was computed for this correlation using the reliability estimates provided in the section Internal Consistency. Based on those estimates (.750 for PONS and .566 for MiniPONS) the corrected (disattenuated) correlation would be larger than 1 (1.07).

  4. The web version of the MiniPONS can be freely accessed and individuals completing the test will receive feedback on their performance. Go to http://www.affective-sciences.org/webexperimentation and choose MiniPONS; English, French, and German versions are available. A version of the MiniPONS is available for researchers to test groups of participants. Researchers interested in using the MiniPONS for group administration, any of the PONS short forms or the full PONS should contact Dr. Judith Hall (j.hall@neu.edu).

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Acknowledgments

The research reported here was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, and the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences. The authors gratefully acknowledge important contributions by Didier Grandjean, Fridtjof Nussbeck, and Olivier Rosset.

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Correspondence to Klaus R. Scherer.

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Bänziger, T., Scherer, K.R., Hall, J.A. et al. Introducing the MiniPONS: A Short Multichannel Version of the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS). J Nonverbal Behav 35, 189–204 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-011-0108-3

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