Foreword
I came across the Dunning-Kruger effect while reading discussion platforms on career development some time in the early 2022. Upon further reading, I realized that I experienced this interesting phenomenon frequently. Therefore, I decided to document what I know and had read about as an effort to better orchestrate my continuous learning while keeping myself humble and open-minded.
Definition
“Dunning-Kruger effect, in psychology, a cognitive bias whereby people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social domain greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain relative to objective criteria or to the performance of their peers or of people in general.” - Britannica
“The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occur because a lack of self-awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their own skills.” - Psychology Today
Figure 1: The Dunning-Kruger Effect (Source: Wikipedia)
The Double Curse of Dunning-Kruger Effect
The Dunning-Kruger effect results in what’s known as a “double curse” Not only do people perform poorly, but they are not self-aware enough to judge themselves accurately—and are thus unlikely to learn and grow.
Causes
- Overconfidence (Overprecision, Overestimation & Overplacement)
- Lack of skills
- Lack of domain knowledge
- Lack of metacognition (the ability to step back and examine oneself objectively)
- Desire for status and power
- Narcissism
- Usage of mental shortcuts (heuristics or guidelines) that allows for quick decision making
- Carrying over knowledge from area that they are familiar with into other areas in which they are less familiar
Preventions & Remedies
- Regular and honest self-questioning on the knowledge (avoid confirmation bias)
- Seeking constructive criticism from others
- Continuous learning and practice on the domain
- Acknowledge that one may not always be right
- Be open-minded
- Learning how our minds work (psychology) and mistakes we are all susceptible to
Interesting Finding
Dunning and Kruger found that those at the high end of the competence spectrum did hold more realistic views of their own knowledge and capabilities. However, these experts actually tended to underestimate their own abilities relative to how others did. Real experts tend to think that everyone else is knowledgeable as well.
References
[1] K. Cherry, The Dunning-Kruger Effect, verywellmind, Aug. 6, 2021. Accessed on: Apr. 12, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-cognitive-bias-2794963
[2] Psychology Today, Dunning-Kruger Effect, Psychology Today, Accessed on: Apr. 12, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/dunning-kruger-effect