Question

Who proposed the concept of Social Intelligence ?

• A. Gardner
• B. Thorndike
• C. Piaget
• D. Binet

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Thorndike

• Edward Thorndike, an American psychologist, first proposed the concept of Social Intelligence in his 1920 article titled Intelligence and Its Uses.
• He defined Social Intelligence as the ability to understand and manage men and women, boys and girls, to act wisely in human relations.
• Thorndike categorized human intelligence into three distinct types:
  • Abstract Intelligence: The ability to manage ideas and symbols (measured by traditional IQ tests).
  • Mechanical Intelligence: The ability to understand and manage physical objects.
  • Social Intelligence: The ability to understand and interact effectively with people.
• The concept gained significant academic attention later through Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences, which includes Interpersonal Intelligence and Intrapersonal Intelligence as key components.
• While Thorndike pioneered the field, later theorists like Daniel Goleman popularized the broader framework of Emotional Intelligence (EI), which builds upon the foundation laid by Social Intelligence.
• Social Intelligence is often referred to as 'street smarts' in psychological literature to distinguish it from the 'book smarts' associated with traditional academic testing.