Theory and measurement of social intelligence as a cognitive performance construct [Elektronische Ressource] / von Susanne Weis

Theory and Measurement of Social Intelligence

as a Cognitive Performance Construct




Dissertation

zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades

Doktor der Philosophie,



genehmigt durch die Fakultät

für Geistes-, Sozial- und Erziehungswissenschaften

der Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg






von Dipl.-Psych. Susanne Weis

geb. am 27.08.1974 in Frankenthal / Pfalz





Gutachterin/Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Heinz-Martin Süß
/ Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Paul Probst



Eingereicht am: 22.08.2007

Verteidigung der Dissertation am: 21.01.2008


ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to my supervisor and mentor
Heinz-Martin Süß for many precious years of cooperation and support. I particularly
appreciate his elaborate and sophisticated criticisms during the course of the present work and
his unparalleled way of maintaining high-quality standards. My special thanks go to
Paul Probst who introduced social intelligence in the German empirical research literature, for
his willingness to review my dissertation. I would like to thank my colleague and fellow
combatant Kristin Seidel for the unprecedented cooperation throughout the course of the
project which will hopefully continue on into the future. I enjoyed a lot our vivid discussions,
the openness of sharing any thoughts and feelings, and the joy of working together. My
thanks go to the staff of our project and the department, in particular to our research
assistants, interns, and diploma students Jenny Papenbrock, Janet Feigenspan, Saskia Sage,
Alexandra Brett, Kerstin Bremer, Anika Fischer, Ulrike Richter, Eva Wohner, Janine
Nötzold, Nadine Hähnel, and Christiane Karthaus. Without their help and inestimable
engagement, this work could not have been carried out. Christiane, thanks so much for your
gripe, and especially, for just being there during the final countdown. My special thanks go to
Birgit Müller as the heart of our team for her proactive and supportive work. I would like to
thank my friends and family who, as target persons, allowed insight into their lives through
our camcorders, voice recorders, and photo cameras. This work could not have been carried
out without their willingness to participate and to share their intimate experiences, thoughts,
and feelings with us. I would also like to thank Jennifer Minsky and Namrata Tognatta for
showing patience and persistence in proof reading and providing precious comments that
contributed to the present work.
I also want to express thanks to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) which
funded the project “Kognitive Facetten Sozialer Intelligenz” (Grant SU 196/3-1) between
November 2003 and September 2006.
Last but not least, I want to express my gratitude to my family for their never ending
support. Particularly, I want to thank my parents for providing me with the opportunity to
study, for being committed to my interests and for promoting intellectual engagement and
scientific work by teaching me critical thinking and optimism. An inexpressable “Thank you”
goes to Lars for being tolerant, for deliberately diminishing his own importance for promoting
my interests, and for covering my back from private obligations. Ultimately, thanks to Lars
and Sina for keeping me down-to-earth and showing me the truly important things in life.
iii


iv TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents.......................................................................................................................................... v
Index of Tables and Figures........................................................................................................................ ix
Index of Abbreviations and Test Labels ................................................................................................... xv
1 Summary.......................................................................................................................... 1
2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 7
3 Basic Theoretical Concepts, Terms and Definitions .................................................. 11
4 Human Abilities – Traditional and New Intelligence Constructs............................. 17
4.1 Theories of Academic Intelligence .................................................................................................. 17
4.2 Requirements for a New Cognitive Ability Construct .................................................................. 25
4.3 Theories and Definitions of Social Intelligence.............................................................................. 27
4.3.1 Definitions of Social Intelligence......................................................................................... 27
4.3.2 A Cognitive Performance Model of Social Intelligence ...................................................... 29
4.3.3 Taxonomic Foundations of Social Intelligence.................................................................... 35
4.3.3.1 Process Variables............................................................................................................. 36
4.3.3.2 Queried Information or Product of Tasks ........................................................................ 39
4.3.3.3 Cues and Contents............................................................................................................ 42
4.3.3.4 Settings ............................................................................................................................. 45
4.3.3.5 Targets of Judgment ......................................................................................................... 45
4.3.4 Social and Academic Intelligence – The Same “g”s, Domain-Specific Overlap, or
Independent Intelligences?................................................................................................... 47
4.4 Ability Constructs Related to Social Intelligence .......................................................................... 50
4.4.1 Emotional Intelligence 50
4.4.1.1 Ability Models of Emotional Intelligence ......................................................................... 51
4.4.1.2 Mixed Models of or Trait Emotional Intelligence ............................................................ 57
4.4.1.3 Overlap of Social and Emotional Intelligence.................................................................. 58
4.4.2 Practical Intelligence............................................................................................................ 60
4.4.3 Wisdom ................................................................................................................................ 62
5 Assessing Social Intelligence and Related Constructs ............................................... 65
5.1 Overview of Measurement Approaches and Validity Evidence................................................... 65
5.1.1 Implicit Theory Approach.................................................................................................... 65
5.1.2 Self-Report Inventories ........................................................................................................ 66
5.1.3 Behavioral Observations ...................................................................................................... 67
5.2 The Cognitive Ability Test – A Methodological Challenge........................................................... 69
5.2.1 Item Origin........................................................................................................................... 70
5.2.2 Item Contents and Contexts ................................................................................................. 71
5.2.3 Item and Response Formats 73
5.2.4 Scoring ................................................................................................................................. 76
5.2.4.1 Target Scoring..................................................................................................................79
5.2.4.2 Group Consensus Scoring ................................................................................................ 84
5.2.4.3 Expert Consensus Scoring 85
5.3 A Database of Cognitive Ability Tests............................................................................................ 89
5.4 Integrating Findings about the Validity of Social Intelligence................................................... 104
5.4.1 Empirical findings..............................................................................................................104
5.4.2 Critical Summary ............................................................................................................... 107
5.5 Social and Emotional Intelligence – Their Qualification and Value as a New Intelligence
Construct ........................................................................................................................................ 109
6 Program of the Present Work............................................................