The Dunning-Kruger (Psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger) effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability in a specific area overestimates their competence, while experts ironically often underestimate theirs, because the skills needed to perform well are often the same skills needed to recognize competence.
Key aspects:
- Low performers: They overestimate their skills because they don’t know enough to recognize their own incompetence.
- High performers: They underestimate their skills, mistakenly believing tasks that are easy for them are also easy for others.
- Metacognitive deficit: The core issue for the unskilled is an ignorance of ignorance – they cant accurately assess their own lack of knowledge.
