The Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale, a self-report measure of social intelligence
Abstract and Figures
Social intelligence is a construct that not only appeals to laymen as a relevant individual difference but also has shown promising practical applications. Nevertheless, the use of social intelligence in research and applied settings has been limited by definitional problems, difficulties in empirically differentiating social intelligence from related constructs, and the complexity of most existing measures of social intelligence. The goal of the present research was to address some of these obstacles by designing a multi-faceted social intelligence measure that is short and easy to administer. Three studies were conducted to develop and validate the Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale (TSIS). Study 1 examined professional psychologists' interpretations of social intelligence to derive a consensually agreed-upon definition of the construct. In Study 2, a large pool of social intelligence items were tested, and a 3-factor, 21-item scale was identified. In Study 3, the stability of this measure was confirmed.
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... Understanding human behavior and improving social well-being are affected by this revised idea of social intelligence. The earlier scales on social intelligence, such as the social intelligence questionnaire (Hunt, 1928), the TROMSØ social intelligence scale (Silvera et al., 2001), the Matson evaluation of social skills with youngsters (Matson et al., 1983), the social competence and behavior evaluation in children (LaFreniere & Dumas, 1996) did not focus on the aspects of self-efficacy and personal autonomy. The main goal of the current research was to develop and validate a new scale on social intelligence that highlights self-efficacy and personal autonomy as new additions to social intelligence, along with knowledge about society and maintaining social relationships which are the conventional aspects of social intelligence. ...
... The TROMSØ social intelligence scale (Silvera et al., 2001) was used to assess the convergent validity of the ESIS. The scale contains 21 items. ...
... Participants rate the extent to which each item applies to them on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (describes me extremely poorly) to 7 (describes me extremely well). The authors of the scale claimed the scale to be reliable and valid (Silvera et al., 2001). The scale was also found to be reliable in the current study (Cronbach's alpha = 0.729). ...
Background
Over the years, scholars have conceived and operationalized social intelligence in several ways that were mostly inclined toward social compliance. The current research emphasized the role of subjectivity, self-efficacy, and personal autonomy in social intelligence in addition to the traditional aspects of social intelligence such as knowledge about social norms and maintaining healthy social relationships. The objective of the current research was to develop and validate a new scale on social intelligence, focusing more on self-efficacy and personal autonomy. The scale was labeled as Efficient Social Intelligence Scale—ESIS.
Methods
The ESIS was developed and validated in a series of four phases by involving 744 conveniently selected participants (Mage = 23 years, SD = 6.18; women = 55.5%). The ESIS was evaluated through rigorous statistical procedures involving internal consistency, exploratory & confirmatory factor analyses, and convergent & discriminant validity.
Results
The ESIS was found to be a highly reliable and valid instrument having nine items and four sub-scales. Indicators such as Cronbach’s alpha (0.830), average item-total correlation (r = 0.614; p < .001), average item-scale correlation (r = 0.913; p < .001), comparative fit index (0.990), Tucker-Lewis index (0.983), root mean square error of approximation (0.045), standardized root mean square residual (0.027), convergent validity with TROMSO social intelligence scale (r = 0.562; p < .001), and discriminant validity with psychosocial illness (r = -0.200; p < .001) established the reliability and validity of the PS. Additionally, men reported significantly higher levels of social intelligence as compared to women (Men = 82.82%; Women = 81.19%; p < .05; Cohen’s d = 0.184).
Conclusion
The ESIS redefines social intelligence to emphasize personal autonomy and subjective fulfillment within social interactions.
... Understanding human behavior and improving social well-being are affected by this revised idea of social intelligence. The earlier scales on social intelligence, such as the social intelligence questionnaire (Hunt, 1928), the TROMSØ social intelligence scale (Silvera et al., 2001), the Matson evaluation of social skills with youngsters (Matson et al., 1983), the social competence and behavior evaluation in children (LaFreniere & Dumas, 1996) did not focus on the aspects of self-efficacy and personal autonomy. The main goal of the current research was to develop and validate a new scale on social intelligence that highlights self-efficacy and personal autonomy as new additions to social intelligence, along with knowledge about society and maintaining social relationships which are the conventional aspects of social intelligence. ...
... The TROMSØ social intelligence scale (Silvera et al., 2001) was used to assess the convergent validity of the ESIS. The scale contains 21 items. ...
... Participants rate the extent to which each item applies to them on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (describes me extremely poorly) to 7 (describes me extremely well). The authors of the scale claimed the scale to be reliable and valid (Silvera et al., 2001). The scale was also found to be reliable in the current study (Cronbach's alpha = 0.729). ...
... Altruism Scale was developed by London and Bower (1968) and adapted to Turkish by Akbaba (1994). Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale was developed by Silvera et al. (2001) and adapted to Turkish by Dogan and Cetin (2009). Social entrepreneurship characteristics of Pre-service Teachers Scale was developed by Konaklı and Göğüş (2013). ...
... As revealed in this study, the significant relationship between altruism and social intelligence of pre-service teachers and the significant prediction of altruism on social intelligence may indicate that altruistic characteristics are the basis of prosocial behaviours such as social awareness, empathy, influencing and developing social relations (Hwang 2010). In this respect, three prosocial behaviours that affect the social intelligence of preservice teachers emerge (Silvera et al. 2001) which are social information processing, social awareness and social skills (Baron and Markman 2000;Johannisson 2016;Mandyoli et al. 2016). The processing of social information, the development of social skills and social awareness also highlight the social entrepreneurship characteristics of pre-service teachers. ...
The study aims to investigate whether social intelligence had a mediating role in the relationship between altruism and social entrepreneurship characteristics of pre-service teachers. The participants of the research consisted of 385 pre-service teachers studying in four higher education institutions in the Eastern Black Sea region of Türkiye in the fall semester of the 2023–2024 academic year. The research data were collected by using altruism scale, Tromsø social intelligence scale, and social entrepreneurship characteristics of pre-service teachers scale. The study, which was designed in correlational survey model, employed structural equation analysis to test the mediating role of social intelligence in the relationship between altruism and social entrepreneurship characteristics. Sub-dimensions of social entrepreneurship characteristics of pre-service teachers scale had a significant and positive relationship with sub-dimensions of altruism scale, and Tromsø social intelligence scale. The structural equation model tested to determine the mediating role of social intelligence in the relationship between altruism and social entrepreneurship characteristics of pre-service teachers was found to be statistically significant and met compliance criteria.
... The "Respondent's Profile" section included questions about name (optional), sex, and department. Silvera et al. (2001) measured social intelligence using the Social Intelligence Questionnaire. Self-efficacy was measured using the General Self-Efficacy Scale by Schwarzer (1995). ...
This study explores the relationship between students’ self-efficacy, social intelligence, and librarians’ competency in implementing bibliotherapy programs at Saint Michael College of Caraga. It aims to evaluate the potential of bibliotherapy to enhance students’ socio-emotional skills and assess librarians’ preparedness to support such initiatives. A descriptivecomparative research design was utilized, involving 343 students and five librarians selected through stratified random sampling. Validated survey instruments measured students’ self-efficacy and social intelligence, while librarians’ bibliotherapy competency was assessed using the Bibliotherapy Knowledge Survey. Findings revealed moderate levels of self-efficacy (mean = 3.05) and social intelligence (mean = 3.07) among students, with no significant gender differences (p = .250). However, significant variations were noted across different academic disciplines (p < .05). Librarians demonstrated limited competency in bibliotherapy (mean = 2.40), highlighting the need for further training and professional development. Implementing a structured bibliotherapy program could enhance students’ socio-emotional skills and improve librarians’ ability to facilitate these interventions. The study recommends a bibliotherapy program tailored to students’ academic needs and professional development for librarians. Future research should examine the long-term impact of such programs and the role of librarian training in their success.
... Аналіз відповідей дозволяє визначити три основні складові соціального інтелекту: соціальну обізнаність (Social Awareness), соціальні навички (Social Skills) та обробку соціальної інформації (Social Information Processing). Детально з анкетою можна ознайомитися у роботі норвезьких дослідниць Д. Сильвери, М. Мартинуссен, Т. Даль [10]. ...
У статті розглядається управління соціальним інтелектом особистості як ключовий фактор підвищення ефективності реклами, зокрема у галузі популяризації значимих для суспільства проєктів. Соціальний інтелект
визначається як здатність особи розуміти і взаємодіяти з іншими людьми, що є надзвичайно важливим для успішного впровадження рекламних кампаній. У сучасному світі, де інформаційні технології та соціальні медіа відіграють провідну роль у формуванні громадської думки, соціальний інтелект стає надзвичайно важливим інструментом для фахівців реклами та маркетингу. Проаналізовано різні аспекти соціального інтелекту, такі як вміння обробляти соціальну інформацію, соціальну обізнаність та соціальні навички, а також здатність адаптувати комунікацію в залежності від аудиторії.
Зроблено висновки, що управління соціальним інтелектом особистості не лише сприяє підвищенню ефективності реклами, але й формує позитивний імідж брендів, які ставлять соціальні цінності на перше місце. В умовах зростаючої конкуренції у рекламній сфері, соціальний інтелект стає важливим чинником, що визначає успіх кампаній.
... All participants began with the FDT, since it was the most demanding in terms of reaction speed and attentional resources. The remaining tasks were performed in a randomized order for each participant and included the following tests: the long version of the Cambridge Face Memory Test [7], the Yearbook Test [67,68], a recently updated, computerized, short version of the Bielefelder Famous Faces Test (here called J-BFFT-2022), the Glasgow Face Matching Test 2-short version [69] and two tests assessing social cognition (The Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale [70] and the multiple-choice, computerized Movie for Assessment of Social Cognition [71]). The last two tasks are not included in the article. ...
Individuals can strongly vary in their ability to process face identity. Understanding the mechanisms driving these differences is important for theoretical development, and in clinical and applied contexts. Here we investigate the role of face-space properties in relation to individual face identity processing skills. We consider two fundamental properties of face-space: expansion (how distant from each other similar faces are located in such space) and adaptability (the degree to which these distances change over time). Fifty-two participants performed a face detection task, with faces systematically varying in their location in face-space, and a comprehensive face identity processing test battery. We replicate previous results indicating a detection advantage for typical, as compared with distinctive faces. Critically, we find that neither our measure of face-space expansion nor that of face-space adaptability are related to individual face processing abilities. While future studies might benefit from the use of more sensitive measures of face-space properties, these results suggest that the two examined here do not contribute to individual differences in face processing abilities as previous studies suggest.
Social-emotional competencies are essential to the developmental process of secondary school students. Developing social and emotional skills has become a crucial goal to help students fully adapt to society within the school environment. Based on a comprehensive analysis of social-emotional competencies - including models of the components constituting these competencies, the social-emotional competency frameworks of prominent authors, and the characteristics of social-emotional competencies in secondary school students according to the 2018 General Education Program - this research proposes a social-emotional competency framework for secondary school students. The framework includes specific component competencies and corresponding manifestations. This competency framework aims to enrich the theoretical foundation of the research topicand support initiatives that foster the development of social and emotional skills in secondary education.
الأهداف: تهدف الدراسة إلى الكشف عن فاعلية البرنامج الترويحى فى تعزيز مستوى الذكاء الاجتماعى لمرضى الفصام بمستشفى المعمورة للطب النفسى. المنهجية: استخدمت الدراسة المنهج التجريبى، وتكونت العينة من (30) حالة من مرضى الفصام بمستشفى المعمورة للطب النفسى بجمهورية مصر العربية حيث تم تقسيمهم إلى (10) حالات للدراسة الاستطلاعية و(20) حالة للدراسة الأساسية بواقع (10) حالات للمجموعة التجريبية (يطبق عليهم البرنامج الترويحى)، و(10) حالات للمجموعة الضابطة، وتم استخدام مقياس الذكاء الاجتماعى من إعداد الباحثين فى جمع البيانات قبل وبعد تطبيق البرنامج الترويحى على مدار شهرين بواقع 16 جلسة ترويحية علاجية. النتائج: أظهرت الدراسة أن البرنامج الترويحى أدى إلى تعزيز مستوى الذكاء الاجتماعى لدى مرضى الفصام وذلك من خلال تحسين أبعاد الذكاء الاجتماعى: التعاطف الاجتماعى بنسبة (73.01%) وفعالیة الذات الاجتماعیة بنسبة (66.81%) وحل المشكلات الاجتماعیة بنسبة (65.45%) ومعالجة المعلومات الاجتماعیة بنسبة (44.65%) والمھارات الاجتماعیة بنسبة (31.30%) والوعى الاجتماعى بنسبة (30.96%) لمرضى الفصام. الخلاصة: فى ضوء النتائج توصى الدراسة بضرورة تطبيق برامج الترويح العلاجى على مرضى الفصام بمراكز علاج وتأهيل مرضى الفصام، والعمل على توفير الإمكانات والأدوات والأجهزة ووسائل الترويح فى المراكز الحكومية ومراكز تأهيل المرضى.
Background: Understanding the dynamics of parent-child interactions is essential, as they significantly influence various developmental outcomes in students, including social intelligence. Social intelligence is a key factor in students' success in both educational and social environments. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the predictive relationship between the parent-child relationship, maternal mental health, and social intelligence among students applying for the gifted exam. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study examined the relationships between parent-child relationships, maternal mental health, and social intelligence among 9th-grade female students in Tehran who applied for gifted programs in 2023. A convenience sample of 301 dyads was selected to participate. Data were collected before the administration of the gifted exam using self-report questionnaires assessing social intelligence, parent-child relationships, and maternal mental health. Pearson correlation analysis and stepwise regression were employed to examine the relationships among the variables. Results: The study found a significant positive correlation between parent-child relationship quality and students' social intelligence (P < 0.001). Additionally, maternal mental health showed a significant positive association with students' social intelligence (P < 0.001). The results suggest that the parent-child relationship plays a role in predicting the social intelligence of students applying for the gifted exam. Conclusions: This study highlights the critical role of positive parent-child relationships in fostering social intelligence, suggesting the potential benefits of interventions that promote effective communication and nurturing family relationships. The contribution of maternal mental health to children's social development also warrants further investigation.
Mental health is more than the absence of mental illnesses. However, while we acknowledge the importance of positive mental health, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding about positive mental health in adolescents and how it protects against psychopathology. This study seeks to understand adolescent positive mental health as a complex system by estimating the networks of components associated with positive mental health and their relationships to indicators of negative mental health. We analyzed data from 1909 adolescents aged 16–19 in Singapore using regular Gaussian Graphic models and Bayesian Directed Acyclic Graphs. Here we report positive self-image as a central upstream node with significant downstream effects on various aspects of well-being. Conversely, positive affect, social skills, perseverance and poor stress management are identified as downstream nodes with limited influence on other components. Our findings highlight the complex interplay between different dimensions of adolescent mental health and underscore the importance of positive self-image as a critical determinant of overall well-being. These results provide valuable insights for designing targeted interventions to enhance positive self-image to promote positive mental health and mitigate the risk of adverse outcomes among adolescents.
The present study sought to ascertain whether ability to decode nonverbal messages can be legitimately viewed as a part of a generalized construct of “social intelligence.” Fifty-two townspeople viewed two sets of 70 black-and-white photographs. For one set of photos, subjects had to judge whether or not a mixed-sex couple shown in each photo represented a couple in a genuine relationship (as opposed to a pair of strangers posing just for the experiment). For the other set of photos, subjects had to judge which of two individuals (same- or mixed-sex) was the other's supervisor. Models of stimulus variation (used to assess internal validity) provided quite good accounts of the cues used in making these judgments and of the weights assigned to the cues. Subject variation on the tasks (used to assess external validity) was unrelated to any but one of the external measures (a cognitive one), however, and performances on the two kinds of judgments were uncorrelated. Thus, internal validation procedures succeeded, but external validation procedures did not. It was concluded from these (and other) data that claims that the measurement of decoding skills assesses an aspect of social intelligence may be at best premature, and at worst incorrect.
A tutorial example demonstrates the effects of social desirability bias on fictional multiculturalism and mental health data and how bias can be moderated by parital correlations using social desirabiliry measures of different degrees of validity. The 33-item Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale was translated from English to Norwegian and presented to 117 university students and 124 non-students. Using psychometric criteria, and a “seed-crystal” method accretion, a 10-item Norwegian short-form of the Marlowe-Crowne scale was produced.
This study examined the role language plays in mediating the influence of verbal descriptions of persons on trait ratings of those persons. Subjects were given written descriptions of the behavior of fictitious persons in a work situation and were asked to rate them on fifteen trait- adjective scales. In one condition of the experiment, specific information about certain traits was withheld, forcing subjects to rate persons on traits for which they had no direct behavioral clues. In the other two conditions, the specific information was provided. Providing specific information about a trait directly influenced ratings on that trait even when sufficient general information on that trait was given. In one condition, the influence on the ratings of the additional behavioral clues was such that a new latent variable representing an additional component of meaning was called for in the structural equation model.
A framework for hypothesis testing and power analysis in the assessment of fit of covariance structure models is presented. We emphasize the value of confidence intervals for fit indices, and we stress the relationship of confidence intervals to a framework for hypothesis testing. The approach allows for testing null hypotheses of not-good fit, reversing the role of the null hypothesis in conventional tests of model fit, so that a significant result provides strong support for good fit. The approach also allows for direct estimation of power, where effect size is defined in terms of a null and alternative value of the root-mean-square error of approximation fit index proposed by J. H. Steiger and J. M. Lind (1980). It is also feasible to determine minimum sample size required to achieve a given level of power for any test of fit in this framework. Computer programs and examples are provided for power analyses and calculation of minimum sample sizes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This study explored the relations among multidimensional measures of social intelligence and assessments of academic intelligence. One hundred and seventy-one undergraduates completed several standard academic intelligence scales, four of the Guilford (O'Sullivan & Guilford, 1976; four factor tests of social intelligence (behavioral cognition): manual of instructions and interpretations. Orange, CA: Sheridan Psychological Services) social intelligence scales, the Social Skills Inventory (Riggio, 1989; Manual for the Social Skills Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press), and a measure of tacit knowledge/etiquette. Correlational and factor analytic analyses indicated that although social and academic intelligence may be conceptually distinct, there is considerable measurement overlap between the constructs. Important implications for the measurement of social intelligence and for future research in the area are discussed.