Social Engineering

You are probably referring to Kevin Mitnick, athough he did not "invent" social engineering, it has been around since civilization has existed.

Coupling within a software system is the degree to which to which each module relies on other modules

cohesion is the measure of a sub systems internal interdependence

It depends on who you talk to; some very famous computer science authors have always claimed that computer science (or information security) is an art because there isn't an exact, repeatable way of doing things in a rigorous scientific manner. Some practitioners have to do things by trial and error or by process of elimination, which hardly qualifies itself as a 'science'. Essentially, you learn by doing, or by learning in a way usually attached to an art, such as learning to play an instrument.

Others can claim that it is a science, because it has rigorous repeatable ideas that can be proven.

As to the social science aspect I cannot answer. Perhaps another contributor with a social science background can comment.

social engineering

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Businesses hire social engineers to test flaws in their business security policy so that the business may correct these flaws before someone exploits them for profit.

B.F. Skinner

Social engineering is the act of manipulating people into divulging confidential information or performing actions that lead to security breaches. One common strategy involves creating a sense of urgency or fear to pressure individuals into making hasty decisions that benefit the attacker.