(Fallacy in Logic) The Dunning-Kruger effect, also referred to as “Mount Stupid”, is a common and widely-known cognitive bias, named after the researchers who identified it in 1999. It describes the tendency of low performers to see themselves as more knowledgeable and capable than they really are. In short, individuals with low competence are unable to determine the level of their own ability and understanding, as well as recognize the skills of others.
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by Staff Writer, November 20th, 2020
Explanation
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a bias in which people with low ability in a certain area tend to overestimate their capability in that area.
Most of us can likely think of a situation where someone’s behavior was influenced by this bias. It is far from uncommon to hear people, who have a false sense of the scope of their knowledge or skills in something, to make overconfident claims and give lengthy speeches on a topic while declaring any opposing views wrong and uninformed. People falling prey to this effect are also described to be “on Mount Stupid”.
Origin
This concept is named after two researchers, David Dunning and Justin Kruger of Cornell University, who identified the phenomenon as a cognitive bias in their 1999 paper. In their studies, they tested the subjects in three areas: grammar, logic, and sense of humor. The results showed that those individuals who got the lowest scores in the tests consistently rated their own performances higher than what the scores revealed. More precisely, people whose scores placed them in the 12th percentile ranked themselves, on average, in the 62nd percentile.
Causes
The main reason behind the Dunning-Kruger effect is that people with a low level of competence lack the needed self-awareness to critically assess their performance and identify one’s own lack of competence. In other words, being unable to judge the level of their own performance, and thus the performances of other people, causes low competence people to have a false view of their skills and overestimate them. As Dunning and Kruger explained:
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.
David Dunning and Justin Kruger in their paper Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One’s Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments (1999).
Stillness in the Storm Editor: Why did we post this?
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Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools.
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