The problem with stupid people is they are too stupid to know they are stupid.

[mbarrick]

Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments Justin Kruger and David Dunning Department of Psychology Cornell University Abstract People tend to hold overly favorable views of their abilities in many social and intellectual domains. The authors suggest that this overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it. Across 4 studies, the authors found that participants scoring in the bottom quartile on tests of humor, grammar, and logic grossly overestimated their test performance and ability. Although their test scores put them in the 12th percentile, they estimated themselves to be in the 62nd. Several analyses linked this miscalibration to deficits in metacognitive skill, or the capacity to distinguish accuracy from error. Paradoxically, improving the skills of participants, and thus increasing their metacognitive competence, helped them recognize the limitations of their abilities.

Comments

[seymour-glass.livejournal.com]

i don't understand...ha ha...

[nicosian.livejournal.com]

While I am willing to admit my idiocy at times, I work with people who frequently underestimate their own.

The joy. The fun.

I've seen this before...

[logik.livejournal.com]

Jeffy brought this study to my attention last year. We were talking about the ability levels of tech workers.

I'd mentioned that many of the people I work with seem to over-estimate my ability level in the tech world, so I constantly find myself double and triple checking things with manuals, references and so on. I'm usually scared that I forgot something or such.

He mentioned this study and said that it sort of jived with this. That the more cabable people in a field often are less certain of their ability than those who are confident.

I can totally see it. I can see the over estimation of ability all the time too. I've often found myself biting off more than I can chew, but usually I kind of enjoy it because it lights a fire under my butt to learn new things or do research that otherwise I'd never have gotten around to.

Interesting implications in social theory though.