Relationship of emotional intelligence and capability of answering higher-order knowledge question in Physiology among first-year medical students.

Emotional intelligence (EI) has a positive correlation with the academic performance of medical students. However, why there is a positive correlation needs further exploration. We hypothesized that the capability of answering higher-order knowledge questions (HOQs) is higher in students with higher EI. Hence, we assessed the correlation between EI and the capability of medical students to answer HOQs in Physiology. First-year undergraduate medical students (n = 124) from an Indian medical college were recruited as a convenient sample. EI was assessed by the Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT), a 33-item self-administered validated questionnaire. A specially designed objective examination with 15 lower-order and 15 higher-order multiple-choice questions was conducted. The correlation between the examination score and the EI score was tested by Pearson's correlation coefficient. Data from 92 students (33 females and 59 males) with a mean age of 20.14±1.87 years were analyzed. Overall, students got a percentage of 53.37±14.07 in the examination with 24.46±9.1 in HOQs and 28.91±6.58 lower order knowledge questions (LOQ). They had a mean score of 109.58±46.2 in SSEIT. The correlation coefficient of SSEIT score with total marks was r = 0.29, P = 0.0037, with HOQs was r = 0.41, P <0.0001, and LOQs was r = 0.14, P = 0.19. Hence, there is a positive correlation between EI and the capability of medical students to answer HOQs in Physiology. This study may be the foundation for further exploration of the capability of answering HOQs in other subjects.