Dunning-Kruger Effects: A Cognitive Bias

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias that causes less competent people to overestimate their own abilities and more competent people to underestimate them. We have all experienced or witnessed this at some point in our lives. When ignorant people think they know everything or really intelligent people think they are ignorant, the Dunning-Kruger effect is at play.

People who suffer from this bias have an illusion of their own superiority. They think they are better than the average person. They also tend to underestimate those who are the most competent.

A study conducted in 1999 by David Dunning and Justin Kruger, two researchers from Cornell University, showed this effect. One very funny thing about this study is that the Dunning-Kruger effect seems to be unique to the western world. When they tried to repeat their study in Asia, they found that the exact opposite happened.

What is behind the Dunning-Kruger effect?

The Dunning-Kruger effect suggests that incompetent people do not have the necessary abilities to differentiate themselves from those who are more skilled than them. People who lack the knowledge or wisdom to do something are often unaware of their shortcomings. Researchers attribute their lack of awareness to deficient metacognitive skills.

In other words, the same incompetence that leads them to make bad decisions is the one that makes it impossible for them to see their problem. Nor can they see it in other people. In fact, there is a whole group of intellectually mediocre people who make money by believing that they are charismatic geniuses. In general, they do it because others find it attractive.

The results of Kruger and Dunning’s studies could be interpreted differently. But the effect is usually as follows: Of all those who perform a specific task, the least skilled believe that they are very prepared to complete it. On the other hand, the best do not tend to have much confidence in their skills.

The reason why incompetent people are successful

The explanation lies in a fascinating idea called the fair-world fallacy. According to this thought, you deserve the results you get in life. People who think this way think that they are where they are in life because of their merits.

What we can see is that incompetent people think they are better than they really are. But in general, they do not think they are as good as those who are actually skilled and competent. It is important to point out that Dunning and Kruger have never proven that incompetent people think they are better than competent people. They just think they’re better than they really are, and they shout it from the rooftops.

There is a significant difference between the way incompetent people perceive their performance and what it really is. People with high competence have a better idea of ​​their actual benefits and abilities.

The Dunning-Kruger effect makes it difficult for truly incompetent people to try to improve. Until they are able to see their faults, they will never be able to overcome them. On the other hand, this cognitive bias prevents those who are already skilled at doing their absolute best. This is because having faith in yourself is crucial to success.

Examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect

For example, if you are not very good at language, it may be difficult for you to see it. This is because you lack the necessary skills to be able to distinguish a good that is good in a foreign language from a bad one. If you can not hear the difference between two different phonemes, how can you know who has good pronunciation and who does not? If you only know a few words in a foreign language, how can you compare the size of your own vocabulary with that of others?

Or maybe you’ve heard someone talk many times about something they do not know anything about. Those who actually know, on the other hand, remain silent. You can even see examples of this in the media. People pay more attention to those who speak with confidence, even if they do not tell the truth.

Conclusion

Basically, the Dunning-Kruger effect says that incompetent people think they are good, and those who are very good think they are incompetent.

Overcoming this effect is crucial for our society. Therefore, if you ever think you know the truth, say something. We need more wise people to have confidence in themselves and share their knowledge with others.