Investigating the Association Between Cognitive Ability, Leisure Activity and Emotional Intelligence Among an Ethnically Diverse Student Population From A Medical University in Malaysia 
Jaiprakash Mohanraj1, Katiravan A/L Kaliannan2, Datius Burchard Mutalemwa3, Kelly Lim Qian Yu4, Manas Kraithad5, Nazrarul Uyun Binti Saedun6, Vithundran Vinayagam7, Wong Yu Yuan8
1Dr Jaiprakash Mohanraj, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, MAHSA University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2Katiravan A/L Kaliannan, MBBS Student, MAHSA University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
3Datius Burchard Mutalemwa, MBBS Student, MAHSA University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
4Kelly Lim Qian Yu, MBBS Student, MAHSA University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
5Manas Kraithad, MBBS Student, MAHSA University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
6Nazrarul Uyun Binti Saedun, MBBS Student, MAHSA University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
7Vithundran Vinayagam, MBBS Student, MAHSA University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
8Wong Yu Yuan, MBBS Student, MAHSA University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Manuscript received on 02 September 2019 | Revised Manuscript received on 12 September 2019 | Manuscript Published on 23 September 2019 | PP: 1099-1106 | Volume-8 Issue-5C, May 2019 | Retrieval Number: E11550585C19/19©BEIESP | DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.E1155.0585C19
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: The young adult population, often classified as digital natives, have transformed their lifestyle and leisure activity to a large extent when compared to the digitally recluse generation, which suggestively can affect their overall emotional and cognitive development. Our present study, investigated the association between emotional intelligence and cognitive ability among university students engaging in four different types of leisure activity ie. group 1- students engaging in group based physical activities, group 2-students involved in self-engaging physical activity, group 3 were online gamers and group 4 were those with sedentary leisure habits. A total of 100 students were included in this study with 25 in each category. Based on the set criteria’s the subjects were classified into the four groups, following which EI-competency based questionnaire was administered. They participants then participated in a validated online gaming tool to tests their cognitive ability. The results showed no significant difference in EI between the four groups however, the group-3 showed better memory and group-4 displayed weak memory when compared to the rest. It was intriguing to observe that all the EI domains affected the spatial planning of their cognitive component. Finally, the Chinese student displayed better cognitive ability when compared to the rest.
Keywords: Cognitive Ability, Emotional Intelligence, Leisure Activity, Young Adults, Physical Activity, Online Gaming.
Scope of the Article: Biomedical Computing