The goals of Study 1 are threefold. First, we assess the
effectiveness of our EA training program by demonstrating
that it significantly improves the objective EA of participants.
Second, we extend the work of Kidwell, Hardesty,
and Childers (2008) by investigating whether heightened
EA improves food choice after completion of the training.
Third, to provide evidence for the progressive cascading
model of EA (Joseph and Newman 2010), we compare
single-dimension training of EA with training in all four
dimensions. We intend to show that training in any one
dimension does not fully lead to the development of the
emotional skills necessary to significantly improve food
choices. In support of the cascading model of EA, we suggest
that the ability to perceive emotion causally precedes
the ability to facilitate emotion, which in turn precedes
understanding emotion and, finally, regulating emotion.
This model allows created knowledge in one dimension to
enhance subsequent dimensions, providing a more complete
understanding of emotional information. We advocate this
cascading pattern in our framework to elicit the greatest
impact of our training and contend that training in all four
dimensions of EA is necessary to elicit the intended benefits
on decision making.