Confusion on the Dunning-Kruger Effect

July 7th, 2010 | Psychology
 
0 Kudos
Don't
move!
The critical point to note is that there’s a clear positive correlation between actual performance (gray line) and perceived performance (black line): the people in the top quartile for actual performance think they perform better than the people in the second quartile, who in turn think they perform better than the people in the third quartile, and so on. So the bias is definitively not that incompetent people think they’re better than competent people. Rather, it’s that incompetent people think they’re much better than they actually are. But they typically still don’t think they’re quite as good as people who, you know, actually are good.
via talyarkoni.org

Yet another example of someone (almost) learning a cool concept and then thinking it applies to everything related.

Posted via email from danielmiessler.com | posterous


☐ If you enjoyed this, please consider connecting via Twitter, RSS, or my other content.

  • Carl M

    Well said. You're right of course. He is entirely misreading the graph (and thus the effect itself). The positive correlation he correctly sees in the graph merely says that the self-perception of more competent people is higher than the self-perception of less competent people. This is not at all what he concludes from this correlation. He claims that "the bias is definitively not that incompetent people think they’re better than competent people", but this is simply wrong. The data shows that those in the bottom quartile rank themselves in the third quartile (above average). It's true that those in the second quartile ALSO rank themselves in the third quartile. Indeed, the remarkable thing is that all of the groups rank themselves between about the 57th percentile and the 74th percentile. That is, those who are below average (those in the lower two quartiles) think that they are above average, and those in the top quartile (on average) think of themselves as being somewhat weaker than they actually are.

    I didn't even bother reading the rest of his post since he didn't even get the basic concept right .. as you pointed out with your "(almost)".

    PS A tad annoying that you seem to no longer be using Disqus. (I'm rather unlikely to join another comment system.)

  • Pingback: mesothelioma attorney seattle

  • Pingback: v zug I miele I electrolux I Steamer I Safe I Siemens

  • Pingback: เกมส์

  • Pingback: Agen Bola

  • Pingback: mesothelioma