Up next, we have The Dunning-Kruger Effect – the premise is people who know the least often feel the most confident.

This particular phenomenon is one of the funniest to me because it posits one’s own incompetence prevents them from recognizing their level of incompetence. Basically, they think they’re smarter than they really are. Don’t we all know someone like this.

It originated in the late 1990s by Dunning and Kruger, psychologists who studied social limitations. This effect opines that a cognitive bias causes a person to overestimate their competence, including painting a comparative picture of believing what comes easily to you must be the same for everyone else. Unfortunately, people experiencing (or portraying) the Dunning-Kruger effect are inherently resistant to change and to being taught what they do not know. Remember, they think they know it already. Bunch of know-it-alls.

This effect mimics the saying “I don’t know what I don’t know”. As seemingly humble as this phrase is, it is a problem when recognizing how to overcome the limitation collides with what is already known. The “self-inflated assessment” of one’s own abilities may lead to mismatched perceptions, evaluations, and merit. Often, the Dunning-Kruger effect is easily recognizable in those who confidently speak about topics they are not masters of.

Notably, children may fall into the trap of believing they are experts after having completed the task/activity/skill once. Upon the next opportunity, when the task does not go as well as it did before, there is a moment of consciousness whereby competence is questioned. “Unskilled and unaware” is how Kruger (1999) described his original research. Hence the loudest voice is not always the wisest.

As far as phenomenon’s go, I actually expected more from this one. Despite knowing many who may be suffering the negative effects of this phenomenon, more worrisome is it seems some don’t know how to fix it or refuse to do so, whereby it simply indicates stupidity.

More to come!

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I ask you –

Were you aware of the Dunning-Kruger effect? Perhaps it goes by a different name in your circle?

(The post Expand Your Mind, pt 2 – The Dunning-Kruger Effect first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

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