The Less We Know, The Smarter We Think We Are! (The Dunning-Kruger Effect)
Have you ever stopped to think why people with fewer skills and abilities tend to overestimate their intelligence and people with more skills underestimate themselves?
In 1995 a Pittsburgh robber named McArthur Wheeler robbed two banks in broad daylight. When he was arrested by the police and was shown the images from the security cameras, he was surprised to learn that the lemon juice did not make him invisible. This act shows how sometimes we think we are smarter the less we know and the less skills we have.
The phenomenon that causes people with fewer abilities to become more intelligent is called the “Dunning-Kruger effect” and was described by scientists at Cornell University (New York, USA), Justin Krugger and David Dunning, who conducted a study to demonstrate how people with little knowledge tend systematically to think that they know much more than they know and to consider themselves more intelligent than other more prepared people.
To carry out the study, they turned to students from Cornell University and evaluated various aspects such as humor, logical reasoning and grammar. Professional comedians were initially asked to rate the humor of thirty jokes and then a group of students were asked to perform the same evaluation. Unsurprisingly, most thought their abilities to judge what was funny were above average.
After the study on humor, a study on logic and grammar was carried out and the results were the same: the people who obtained the worst results were those who thought they had the best concept of themselves and considered themselves the most intelligent.
The study was published in December 1999 in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Their results were as follows:
1. Incompetent individuals tend to overestimate their own ability.
2. Incompetent individuals are unable to recognize the ability of others.
3. Incompetent individuals are unable to recognize their extreme inadequacy.
4. If they can be trained to substantially improve their own skill level, these individuals can recognize and accept their prior lack of skills.
What is this about?
This phenomenon occurs due to an unreal perception, because the skills necessary to do something well are precisely the skills necessary to know how I am doing it. For example, if my spelling level is very low, the only way to find out is by knowing the spelling rules.
That way, with the passage of time and the study of spelling, I will be aware of my mistakes. In these cases there is also a double deficit, since I am not aware that I am not only incompetent with spelling but also lack the necessary skills and knowledge about spelling.
So, in view of all the above, it is worth asking: How do I know if I do not have skills in a certain subject?
In general, we must compare what we know with the rules about a certain subject and try to be objective. For example, if I want to test my knowledge of mathematics I will have to study the rules of mathematics and that way I will be able to evaluate my skills in this area.
How can we overcome our lack of skills?
Above all we must be self-critical and receptive to the criticism and opinions of others. Many times we overvalue our knowledge and do not listen to other people who may have different opinions and abilities that can enrich us and from which we can learn.
On the other hand, we must be attentive to our way of making decisions. What do I base my decision on? In my intuition, in knowledge that I don’t have, in my opinions? We need to be vigilant because we may be overvaluing our knowledge and skills.
In any case, the Dunning-Kruger effect is nothing more than a statement of the famous phrase by Charles Darwin “Ignorance breeds more confidence than knowledge.”
Therefore, it is necessary for us to make a reflection: Do we ignore our own ignorance?
