He Dunning-Kruger effect alludes to those ppeople who, even having basic skills or knowledge about a topic, consider themselves experts in it. At the same time, those who are truly experts in the field underestimate their skills, appear more humble and are aware that they still have a lot to learn or improve.
This psychological effect is one of the most paradoxical cognitive biases that exist and, at the same time, are more common. Surely you have experienced it yourself or have known someone who suffers from it regularly.
Dunning-Kruger effect: what is it?
The psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger They observed that some incompetent people are not able to self-assess their knowledge or abilities objectively, so they tend to overestimate their abilities. On the other hand, People who are experts in a topic are more aware of what they have left to learn and are more humble. (Socrates’ “I only know that I know nothing”)
It is called cognitive bias because It represents a distortion of reality and produces a partial and unrealistic vision of one’s own capabilities. Basically, the Dunning-Kruger represents a problem of metacognition, that is, of the ability to analyze our mental processes.
Dunning-Kruger effect: examples
A classic example of the Dunning-Kruger effect is that of the flat earth movement. People without basic knowledge of astronomy, physics, optics, mathematics, trigonometry or biology are convinced that the earth is flat.
On the other hand, scientists from all branches of knowledge are continually conducting experiments, testing existing theories and proposing new hypotheses to improve knowledge, aware of everything we have yet to discover.
Another example could be that of someone who believes they are an excellent driver, but in reality, he commits many infractions and causes accidents due to his recklessness. It usually happens that these people They are never aware of their mistakes; They continue to believe that they are good drivers and that others are always to blame for their accidents.
Dunning-Kruger effect: self-assessment test
The Dunning-Kruger effect goes unnoticed by the person who suffers from it. Being an error in metacognition, the person cannot even imagine that they are wrong. In fact, even you may suffer from it in some areas of knowledge. No one is immune to the Dunning-Kruger effect What can we do, then, to detect it?
A first step to detect Dunning-Kruger is to evaluate the level of metacognition, that is, the part that analyzes our own mental processes to detect if we are right or if we may be making mistakes, even if we do not realize it. To evaluate it, ask yourself these questions:
- Do you often think that you know more than others about the topics they talk about?
- Do you think you can continue learning or that you have already reached a high level of knowledge?
- Do you think about your own mental processes? Do you question yourself?
The second step to detect the Dunnink-Kruger effect is to test ourselves. This step requires a certain level of courage, since it can mean the collapse of some firm ideas that we believe we have about ourselves.
- The test consists of taking a questionnaire on a specific topic, on which we believe we have great skills, and comparing the score we get with the one we would have given ourselves in the beginning, before taking the test.
For example, for people who are convinced of their superior driving skills, it may be useful to pass a driving exam test. If the actual score is significantly lower than your previous expectations, we can say that you suffer from Dunning-Kruger.
How to prevent the effect Dunning-Kruger
To remedy the Dunning-Kruger effect, we need to be aware of our mistakes and limitations. To do this, you can follow these basic tips:
- Seek the opinion and advice of real expertss on a given topic. We must be willing to listen to constructive criticism, in this way, we will maintain an open mind that helps us grow and move forward.
- We must practice reflection and self-criticism, never taking anything for granted, but constantly questioning our beliefs and their motives to make adjustments as necessary. To carry out this step, we must maintain a humble attitude and be willing to accept possible mistakes.
- Finally, it is essential to search for information in different sources, to contrast and draw conclusions. The danger of Dunning-Kruger is that it is usually combined with another bias, confirmation bias (only looking for information that confirms our beliefs). We must break this bias by seeking varied sources and different opinions.