TY - GEN
T1 - The Dunning-Kruger effect : have we been too "mean" to the "incompetent"?
AU - Newbery, Glenn
AU - Tremayne, Patsy
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - ![CDATA[The Dunning-Kruger effect is commonly understood, both in the research industry and in popular culture, as the tendency of the “incompetent” to be unaware of their lack of skill and, as a consequence, to grossly overestimate their ability and performance. In this study, we extend the standard approach to investigating the Dunning-Kruger effect by adding an idiographic analysis in an attempt to establish whether all “incompetent” individuals overestimate themselves because they are unaware of their lack of skill. Ninety-three psychology students from Western Sydney University completed a survey that required them to provide three estimates pertaining to an upcoming multiple-choice test: their percentile ability, their percentile performance, and their raw score. Using the standard approach to analyzing the data, participants were split into quartiles based on their actual test score. For each quartile, the mean estimated ability percentile and the mean estimated performance percentile were compared to the mean actual test score percentile. Also, mean estimated test score and mean actual test score were compared across quartiles. Consistent with the typical Dunning-Kruger effect, the authors found that the magnitude of overestimation was greatest in the bottom quartile, while top quartile participants underestimated themselves. However, the idiographic (i.e., within bottom quartile) analysis revealed that a high proportion of bottom quartile participants did not estimate themselves to be above average and that some of the most unskilled bottom quartile participants were less miscalibrated than many of those more skilled. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that the “incompetent” overestimate themselves not because they are unaware of their relative lack of skill, but because they are susceptible to factors that render all people – irrespective of performance level – poor at estimating their relative ability and performance.]]
AB - ![CDATA[The Dunning-Kruger effect is commonly understood, both in the research industry and in popular culture, as the tendency of the “incompetent” to be unaware of their lack of skill and, as a consequence, to grossly overestimate their ability and performance. In this study, we extend the standard approach to investigating the Dunning-Kruger effect by adding an idiographic analysis in an attempt to establish whether all “incompetent” individuals overestimate themselves because they are unaware of their lack of skill. Ninety-three psychology students from Western Sydney University completed a survey that required them to provide three estimates pertaining to an upcoming multiple-choice test: their percentile ability, their percentile performance, and their raw score. Using the standard approach to analyzing the data, participants were split into quartiles based on their actual test score. For each quartile, the mean estimated ability percentile and the mean estimated performance percentile were compared to the mean actual test score percentile. Also, mean estimated test score and mean actual test score were compared across quartiles. Consistent with the typical Dunning-Kruger effect, the authors found that the magnitude of overestimation was greatest in the bottom quartile, while top quartile participants underestimated themselves. However, the idiographic (i.e., within bottom quartile) analysis revealed that a high proportion of bottom quartile participants did not estimate themselves to be above average and that some of the most unskilled bottom quartile participants were less miscalibrated than many of those more skilled. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that the “incompetent” overestimate themselves not because they are unaware of their relative lack of skill, but because they are susceptible to factors that render all people – irrespective of performance level – poor at estimating their relative ability and performance.]]
KW - self-perception
KW - academic achievement
KW - social psychology
UR - http://handle.westernsydney.edu.au:8081/1959.7/uws:51930
M3 - Conference Paper
BT - Proceedings of the 17th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, 10-12 January 2019, Honolulu, USA
PB - Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities
T2 - Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities
Y2 - 10 January 2019
ER -